White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that she intends to let Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) speak for herself in the wake of controversial comments she made over the weekend regarding Hamas.
The comments Jayapal made were in an interview she did on Sunday, during which she condemned Hamas for raping Israeli women but added that "we have to be balanced" in bringing "the outrages against Palestinians." During an appearance Jean-Pierre made on The View, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked her if Jayapal needed to issue a clarification on what she said Sunday.
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"So, look, I’m going to let the representative speak for herself," Jean-Pierre said. "I just can’t speak for her. I speak for the President of the United States. I am the White House press secretary, obviously, so that’s who I speak for."
The press secretary added that she believes using rape as a weapon of war is reprehensible and that the Biden administration has been "very, very clear about denouncing Hamas’s actions." Griffin pressed Jean-Pierre again if Jayapal needed to clarify her comments, though the secretary reiterated that she speaks for President Joe Biden and that the congresswoman needs to speak for herself.
In the wake of Jayapal's comments, Reps. Lois Frankel (D-FL) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) are working on a resolution that would condemn Hamas’s use of sexual violence against Israeli women. Frankel started drafting the resolution, and the pair intends to introduce it, according to CNN.
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Jayapal is one of several "Squad Democrats" who have been greatly criticized over comments they have made over Israel's war against Hamas. Fellow Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was censured by the House after she called Israel an apartheid state and asked the United States to stop funding the country. She also falsely claimed that Israel attacked a hospital in Gaza and failed to correct it.
Likewise, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been criticized for voting against a House resolution to stand "with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists." The legislation did not sufficiently "acknowledge and mourn the lives of Palestinians taken by the Israeli military," she said.