The White House argued Thursday that Republicans were lying about attacks on Critical Race Theory in public schools, despite failing to identify any specific evidence to make their case.
White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the claim during a discussion about Critical Race Theory. Republicans running for office have raised parents concerns about divisive racist principles being integrated in public school curriculums nationwide. Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin
“Republicans are lying. They’re not being honest,” she said. “They’re not being truthful about where we stand.”
Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden believed that America was a “great country,” but that, “great countries have to be honest with themselves about their history, which is the good and the bad.”
She noted that Biden was specifically concerned about voters nationwide being led astray by what she described as “misinformation” on the issue.
“I think what he was trying to say is that there’s so much misinformation out there. So much disinformation out there,” she said.
Jean-Pierre acknowledged that public school curriculums were not up to the federal government but up to school boards, parents, teachers, and communities.
“That means that politicians should not be dictating what our kids are being taught,” she said.
She claimed Republicans were using kids as a “political football,” for elections but did not care about kids, because they did not vote for Democrat efforts to help kids in schools, such as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
“They are not being honest, they are being incredibly dishonest,” she said.