White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre gave a thumbs-up Friday to protesters who targeted Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as he dined at a Washington restaurant this week — then cut off questions about her involvement with a haughty, “I’m done here.”
“Does the president think it’s appropriate for anti-abortion rights protesters to intimidate Supreme Court justices when they’re out eating, like Brett Kavanaugh, who had to sneak out of a steakhouse [Wednesday] night?” Fox News correspondent Peter Ducey asked Jean-Pierre.
“The president was very clear that we condemn any intimidation of judges,” replied Jean-Pierre.
Ducey later asked, “If these protesters can go to the judge’s house and they can go to a restaurant, where do you think it’s inappropriate for a group of protesters to go?”
“You asked me about intimidation,” replied Jean-Pierre. “We condemn intimidation. We condemn all violence… Peaceful protest – people should be allowed to be – to be able to do that.”
“In a restaurant?” Ducey replied.
Cavanaugh was dining at Morton’s Steakhouse while people protested outside. Andrew Harnick/AP
“If it’s in front of a restaurant, if it’s calm, sure,” the press secretary replied.
“Really?” Ducey asked incredulously, later asking, “Doesn’t that set up a potential really bad situation where there are people — even if they’re peaceful at the time, they’re angry. And that’s why they’d be there, right?’
“Peter, we have condemned all intimidation and violence,” said Jean-Pierre, who later signaled an end to the back-and-forth by saying, “I’m done, Peter.”
The exchange came two days after pro-abortion demonstrators converged on Cavanaugh while he was eating at Morton’s Steakhouse, with some activists urging people to call the restaurant and denounce his hospitality to justice.
Cavanaugh finished his meal before heading out the back door, undisturbed by the protesters — whom he did not hear or see, Politico reported, citing a person familiar with the situation.
White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre gave a thumbs-up to protesters outside a restaurant where Judge Brett Kavanaugh was dining. Susan Walsh/AP
However, the chain claimed in a statement that the protesters “harassed” Justice and other patrons.
The demonstration came almost exactly a month after Cavanaugh was targeted by a would-be killer who was arrested steps from the judge’s home in Maryland with an arsenal that included a Glock 17 pistol, two magazines and ammunition and a tactical knife.
The administration has repeatedly refused to convict abortion rights protesters who have regularly appeared in front of conservative justices’ chambers since the release in May of a leaked draft opinion overturning 49 years of precedent establishing abortion rights nationwide.
Law enforcement officers stand guard as protesters march past the home of Chief Justice John Roberts on June 8. Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Even after the attempted assassination of Cavanaugh, Jean-Pierre told reporters, “We haven’t judged where people should or shouldn’t protest. We said that all Americans have a right to peaceful protest, regardless of their viewpoint, but that attempts at intimidation and violence are completely unacceptable and should be condemned whenever they happen, regardless of who is doing them.
Meanwhile, Biden didn’t hesitate to throw rhetorical bombs at the Supreme Court on Friday when he signed an executive order calling on his administration to help women who want abortions.
“The court and its allies are determined to take America back with fewer rights, less autonomy, and politicians who intrude on the most personal decisions,” the president said. “We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in concert with extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away our liberties and personal autonomy.”
That rebuke came days after Biden’s extraordinary attack on the judiciary during a press conference at a NATO summit in Spain, where the president said the court’s “outrageous behavior” was having a “destabilizing” influence on America.
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