Jon Karl Defends Border Questions at Biden Presser: ‘Not Right-Wing Talking Points’

ABC News anchor Jon Karl said Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” that the White House press corps questions about the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border at President Joe Biden’s first press conference were not “right-wing talking points.”

Anchor Brian Stelter said, “There has been so much criticism of these 10 reporters for what they asked and what they didn’t ask. How do you see it?”

Karl said, “Well, look, you could always second guess the questions that were asked. I’ve been in there many times under four different presses at press conferences, and you go in there with a list of questions. One of the big things for me when I was going into a press conference, I had the one or two that I wanted to do this question, but I was worried depending on when you’re called on, those questions could be asked. So I went in with a long list in case the question had already been asked to hit a different subject.”

“There is never a shortage of things to ask a president about,” he continued. “So, yeah, watching from home, I would have like to have seen more questions, certainly questions on COVID. But there were good questions asked. I mean, you pointed to Cecilia Vega. That is not right-wing talking points. She had just been at the border. She had just talked to migrants who had come over, including some that said point-blank that they had come because they thought they would have better treatment now that Joe Biden was president. That is a legitimate question to put to the president. I thought that his answer was one of the more interesting moments in that press conference.”

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