(CNSNews.com) - The White House refused to comment on the indictment of former President Donald Trump on Friday but said that the president and the White House found out about it the same way everyone else did - through the news.

When asked whether President Biden was briefed on the indictment, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We found out - all of us, including the president, found out about the news yesterday just like every other American - through the news reports. His chief of staff Jeff Zients let him know what occurred through media reports just like [everyone else] found out through media reports.”

“You heard from the president just earlier this morning on the South Lawn before taking off for this trip to Mississippi,” the press secretary said when asked to comment on the indictment. “We’re just not going to comment.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House prior to his trip to Rolling Fork, Miss., on Friday, Biden said he has “no comment” on the Trump indictment.

When asked whether the indictment will divide the country, Biden said, “I have no comment on that.” 

As to whether he’s worried about protests, Biden said, “No. I’m not going to talk about the Trump indictment.”

Asked what the indictment says about the rule of law, Biden said, “I have no comment at all.”

When asked whether the charges against Trump are politically motivated, the president said, “I have no comment on Trump.”
 
When asked whether the president is concerned about the possibility of civil unrest after the indictment, Jean-Pierre said, “What I will say is the president certainly - and we said many times before, he supports Americans [protesting] peacefully, and I’m just not going to get into speculations from here on what may or may not happen.”