Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki reportedly requested that the Foreign Affairs Committee convey an apology to Gold Star families for her assertion that President Biden did not check his watch during a ceremony.
On Friday, Psaki participated in a closed-door transcribed interview with the House Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the tumultuous evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021. Serving as press secretary at that time, Psaki allegedly addressed queries about claims that she had made numerous false statements regarding the operation.
Insider reports from the committee indicated that Psaki was asked whether she wished to comment to the Gold Star families who were upset by her earlier statements.
Psaki participated in an interview for the Foreign Affairs Committee on Friday. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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“The chairman inquired of Ms. Psaki about her remarks concerning President Biden looking at his watch while at Dover [Air Force Base] and if she wanted to say anything to the families on the record,” stated Leslie Shedd, spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Committee majority, to the Washington Examiner.
The statement continued, “After multiple prompts for her to express something to them, Ms. Psaki requested that the chairman pass along her apology to the families and convey her regret for the distress she caused. He has done so.”
GOP Florida Rep. Mike Waltz seemed to corroborate the exchange, praising Psaki on X for taking the appropriate action.
“Just finished the House Foreign Affairs interview with Jen Psaki. She agreed to apologize to the 13 Gold Star families from Afghanistan whom she incorrectly contradicted in her book by stating Biden didn’t look at his watch. This isn’t about partisanship or a gotcha moment. This is the right thing to do as fellow Americans, and I hope she follows through,” Waltz remarked.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Foreign Affairs Committee and Psaki for confirmation but have not yet received a response.
The incident referenced by the committee involved widely circulated video and subsequent images showing Biden checking his watch multiple times during a dignified transfer ceremony for the 13 U.S. service members killed in a terrorist attack amidst the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Jen Psaki’s book included a misleading claim about President Biden’s notorious watch-checking during a dignified transfer ceremony. (Left: (Photo by: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images), Right: (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images))
PSAKI DOESN’T DENY BIDEN LOOKED AT WATCH DURING CEREMONY FOR 13 SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN KABUL
Psaki faced criticism in May when her new book “Say More” claimed “the president looked at his watch only after the ceremony was completed,” asserting that critics misrepresented the facts to portray Biden as insensitive. Nevertheless, Gold Star families have consistently stated that they observed Biden checking his watch multiple times during the dignified transfer ceremony.
She was subsequently compelled to revise and eliminate that line from future editions and digital copies of the book.
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Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
