President Joe Biden met privately with family members of deceased Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) at the White House on Friday just days after he mistakenly called out to her at a political event.
“Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” Biden asked during his speech on Wednesday. “I didn’t think she was — she wasn’t going to be here…”
Walorski died tragically in a car accident in August.
Rep. Jackie Walorski (R_IN) participates in a House Ways and Means Committee Trade Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
But the White House refused to concede that Biden made a mistake, as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted the late congresswoman was “top of mind” of the president when he made the error.
Biden met with the late congresswoman’s family members at the White House and signed a bill renaming a Veterans Affairs building in her honor.
Jean-Pierre said the signing event took place behind closed doors at the White House, preventing the press from covering it.
“As you can imagine this was a personal moment that the president was doing,” she said. “The president has been, you know, looking forward to hosting the late representative’s family and other lawmakers to honor her legacy.”
Jean-Pierre said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were also present at the White House for the bill signing event.