Halper: Biden gaslighting journalist another example of his contempt for press

Comedian and podcaster Katie Halper said late-night show host Stephen Colbert’s ridicule of Fox News’s Peter Doocy was “pathetic,” saying it was President Biden who deserved criticism.  

“We see so many things that people were upset about with [former President] Trump are fine when Biden does it,” Halper said while appearing on Hill.TV’s “Rising.”

On his show Tuesday night, Colbert said that during a press conference the previous day Biden “was asked a ridiculous question by a ridiculous man: Fox News reporter and that one kid in high school who wears a suit to gym class Peter Doocy.” 

During that press conference, Doocy asked Biden about a previous comment in which he said the U.S. would respond “in kind” to a Russian chemical attack. 

Biden clarified that the U.S. response would be “significant,” to which Doocy asked, “What does that mean?”

“I’m not going to tell you,” Biden answered. “Why would I tell you? You got to be silly.”

“The world wants to know?” Doocy said.

“The world wants to know a lot of things,” Biden responded. “I’m not telling what the response would be. Then Russia knows the response.”

Halper said Doocy’s questioning of Biden over whether the United States plans to use chemical weapons in response to possible Russian chemical warfare was reasonable.  

“I’m not a fan of Doocy, but it was not at all unreasonable question, and Biden kind of gaslit him to make it seem like he … asked some question that was inherently dangerous for national security,” Halper said. 

Halper said Biden has continued Trump’s legacy of attacking the press. 

“A lot of people were rightly outraged by what they saw as Trump’s attack on the fourth estate, and he did have an attack on the fourth estate. He launched an attack on the fourth estate. The problem is Biden has continued that,” she said.

Halper also criticized the Biden administration’s attempts to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from Britain to prosecute him for a Trump-era case.  

“It would be nice to see Colbert using his voice to call on Biden to slap down that persecution and prosecution instead of basically cheerleading for Biden and enabling him and protecting him from very legitimate questions that any reporter would ask,” Halper said.