Karine Jean-Pierre Abruptly Ends White House Briefing Over Unruly Reporter

The White House's press briefing on Thursday, November 30, took an unexpected turn when journalist Simon Ateba once again interrupted his fellow reporters, leading to a chaotic end to the briefing, RadarOnline.com has learned.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby joined Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for the briefing, during which they addressed President Joe Biden's upcoming meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the White House.

Kirby discussed the United States' interests in Africa, which President Biden hopes to advance through this meeting.

As the briefing progressed, Ateba interjected with a follow-up question, expressing his surprise at the lack of representation for African journalists. He stated, "It's so surprising you are receiving an African leader and you don't take a question from an African journalist."

According to Mediaite, this remark sparked a series of unintelligible crosstalk, causing Jean-Pierre to step in and warn that the briefing would end if order was not maintained.

"We can end this briefing if it's not going to be respectful here," Jean-Pierre warned the Today News Africa correspondent.

Despite her warning, Ateba continued his outburst, prompting Jean-Pierre to end the briefing.

This was not the first time Ateba disrupted the White House's press briefings with his disruptive heckling. His actions have drawn criticism from both Jean-Pierre and his fellow journalists.

Earlier this year, the White House issued a warning, stating that if Ateba's disruptive behavior persisted, his press room credentials would be revoked.

"The White House recognizes that members of the press often raise their voices or shout questions at press briefings or events," the letter stated. "Ordinarily, such shouting stops when a reporter is called on for a question, and the briefing or event is able to continue. Continued interruptions are different; they prevent journalists from asking questions or administration officials and guests from responding."

Ateba referenced the letter in a tweet posted in July, drawing attention to an article published by The Washington Post with a headline claiming that he was "making himself the story at the White House."

He alleged it was nothing more than a "hit piece meant to prevent me from renewing my hard pass."

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the White House press secretary has frequently butted heads with a number of reporters from various outlets.

Earlier this year, Jean-Pierre lashed out at Jacqui Heinrich from Fox News after he claimed that President Biden was being "intellectually dishonest" about the budget negotiations at the time.

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