GOP Lawmakers Demand President Joe Biden Apologize For 'Unacceptable Error' Calling Out For Late House Rep. Jackie Walorski
Sept. 29 2022, Published 11:45 a.m. ET
Republican lawmakers demanded President Joe Biden apologize this week after he called out for late congresswoman Jackie Walorski during an event at the White House, RadarOnline.com has learned.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the concerning incident took place on Wednesday as President Biden addressed a group of guests during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
But the 79-year-old president was seemingly disoriented because during his opening remarks, as he thanked a number of politicians for attending the conference, he looked around in confusion for House Rep. Walorski – even though she passed away early last month.
"We want to thank all of you here, including bipartisan elected officials like Representative [Jim] McGovern, Senator [Mike] Braun, Senator [Cory] Booker, Representative Jackie — are you here? Where’s Jackie? — I think she was going to be here,” Biden said to the shock of everyone in attendance.
Congresswoman Walorski passed away in early August after she and two of her staffers were involved in a fatal car accident in Indiana.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden released a statement at the time both confirming Walorski’s death and paying tribute to the late Indiana House representative.
"Jill and I are shocked and saddened by the death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski of Indiana along with two members of her staff in a car accident today in Indiana," the president said in a statement issued on August 3.
But now, just hours after the embarrassing blunder, GOP lawmakers have called for the president to apologize while also suggesting Biden may have made the shocking mistake on purpose.
“Truly an awful and disgraceful blunder,” GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler wrote in a tweet shortly after the president’s error. “Jackie was a selfless leader and a dear friend.”
“Her family deserves better than this,” House Rep. Hartzler added. “Biden and the entire White House staff should apologize.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre angered Republican lawmakers further by trying to defend the president’s mistake, claiming Walorski was “at top of [Biden’s] mind” due to an upcoming visit between the president and Walorski’s family later this week.
“The White House Press Secretary completely failed to defend Biden's unacceptable comments about my late friend and colleague Jackie Walorski,” Arizona House Rep. David Schweikert fumed in a tweet of his own.
“The president should personally apologize to her family and loved ones immediately,” he raged.
“Remember where you were on September 28, 2022,” Steve Guest, Senator Ted Cruz’s communications advisor, added. “It's the day it finally became ok for the White House Press pool to acknowledge that Joe Biden is senile.”
Wednesday’s blunder was just the latest mistake made by Biden as a majority of voters are reportedly questioning his mental faculties ahead of the next presidential election.