‘Let’s Not Twist This!’ Jean-Pierre Bristles At Fox News Reporter Questioning Kamala Harris For Taking Vacation

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre bristled when Fox News White House correspondent Mark Meredith questioned the “optics” of Vice President Kamala Harris vacationing in Hawaii.

Hundreds of Democratic National Committee staffers were laid off following the election, and their union has complained about the lack of severance pay and advance notice. The DNC says they honored the terms of the union agreement and that workers were told as early as Sept. 13 that layoffs were coming.

And earlier this week, VP Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff departed Washington, D.C. for a vacation in Hawaii.

At Thursday’s White House press briefing, KJP took exception to several parts of Meredith’s questioning, which involved connecting President Joe Biden’s support for unions with those laid-off DNC staffers and with the VP’s vacation:

MARK MEREDITH: And then, my second question was just on unions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

MARK MEREDITH: The president has talked so much about being the most pro-union president ever. This week, the DNC Staff Union put out a pretty scathing note saying that so many DNC staffers have gotten laid off, no severance. They were shocked.

I’m just curious, from an optics perspective. The vice president left town to go to Hawaii on vacation. Does the president think that’s appropriate when so many DNC staffers are literally wondering what they’re going to do for work next?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Let’s not twist this in so many knots here. First of all, to your first part of your question, it’s not the president who called himself the most pro-union president. It’s other unions that have called him that, and he is proud to be called the most pro-union president ever. That is something that he — was given to him, and he is proud to own that.

And it’s not because he’s — it’s — it’s a frivolous statement. It is because he has shown — he has not just spoken but taken action and has had the back of union members and union workers throughout his presidency.

As it relates to the DNC, I would have to refer you to the DNC and —

MARK MEREDITH: But does it look bad for the vice president to go to Hawaii —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I —

MARK MEREDITH: — while DNC staffers are just wondering —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The vice —

MARK MEREDITH: — what they’re going to do for work?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The vice president has taken time off to go spend time with her family. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think she deserves some time to be with her family and to have some downtime. She has worked very hard over — for the last four years, and her taking a couple of days to be with her family, good for her. Good for her.

MARK MEREDITH: Thank you.

Watch above via The White House.