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White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday defended Vice President Kamala Harris for giving Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson a hug without a face mask after coming into close contact with individuals who had tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
Asked by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy about the embrace, which took place earlier on Friday at the White House during a ceremony honoring Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Psaki appeared to acknowledge the mistake, saying Harris had had an “emotional moment.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the White House Daily Press Briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2022. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Psaki also noted that Harris was outside.
“Does the CDC say that people who are in close contact can give people hugs outside?” Doocy pressed.
“We know, Peter, that outside you can benefit significantly being outside,” Psaki said.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris hug after the conclusion of an event on the South Lawn of the White House on April 08, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Psaki was then reminded by Doocy that Harris ditched the use of a face mask while presiding over the Senate confirmation for Jackson on Thursday.
“She was playing an important role in confirming or overseeing the confirmation of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court,” Psaki said. She asserted that Harris was “socially distanced from people for the vast, vast majority of her time overseeing that confirmation yesterday.”
Pressed further and questioned about how the instance “is not a case of rules for thee, but not for VP” by Doocy, Psaki said Harris “was socially distanced for 99.9% of the event today, and she had an emotional moment, which is understandable.”
Reporters question White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 07, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Earlier this week, Harris’ communications director, Jamal Simmons, tested positive for COVID-19 one a day after he attended a ceremony at the White House where he was in close contact with Harris and former President Barack Obama without a mask. Simmons is isolating at home.
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The CDC website states that vaccinated individuals who are exposed to someone who is COVID positive should wear a mask for 10 days when around others.
Psaki also said Friday there is a “possibility” President Biden could test positive for COVID-19.
“Even with the president being double boosted, he could still test positive for Covid,” Psaki told reporters.
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this article.