In an unexpected turn of events, White House Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton stepped up to the briefing room podium, replacing Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during Tuesday’s highly anticipated press briefing. This development has sparked speculation that Dalton may potentially be a replacement for Jean-Pierre in the future.
While Dalton has previously led press briefings aboard Air Force One, Tuesday’s presser marked her first time taking charge from the physical podium at the White House. Interestingly, Jean-Pierre was noticeably absent during the briefing, raising questions about the circumstances behind this sudden change.
Despite the curiosity surrounding the switch, the White House has yet to provide an immediate response to inquiries seeking clarification on why Dalton assumed the briefing responsibilities instead of Jean-Pierre. As the public awaits an official statement, conjecture continues to circulate about the reasons behind this significant personnel shift at the forefront of the administration’s communication with the media.
Dalton, like Jean-Pierre, refused to speak about the IRS whistleblower’s testimony about Hunter Biden.
“Does the White House believe Attorney General Garland committed perjury when he testified under oath that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss could bring charges outside of his district?” the New York Post’s Steven Nelson asked, referring to the whistleblower testimony released to the public on Thursday.
“I don’t have any comment on this,” Dalton responded.
Jean-Pierre has also been frequently accompanied by White House national security spokesperson John Kirby at the briefings, who often speaks for around half the time.
Dalton stepped up to the podium after a chaotic briefing on Friday. During the heated presser, several reporters yelled at Kirby and followed up with Jean-Pierre over an alleged 2017 text message in which Hunter Biden invokes his father, who he said was sitting next to him, to threaten a Chinese business associate.
