Newly appointed White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked for an apology after a Tuesday interaction with the press, wherein she joked about the US Space Force.
Psaki came under fire on Tuesday night as politicians slammed her for a “disgraceful comment” about the US Space Force. Psaki was asked by a reporter during her daily press briefing whether President Biden had decided on the future of the newest branch of the military, established by former President Donald Trump when he signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
With no idea how to respond to the oft-asked query, and following questions about whether Biden planned to change the color scheme of Air Force One last month, Psaki blurted out, “Wow! Space Force — it’s the plane of today.”
Source: PR Week
“It is an interesting question. I am happy to check with our Space Force point of contact. I’m not sure who that is. I will find out and see if we have any update on that,” she continued, unaware of the sentiments she had hurt.
As it stands, The U.S. Space Force (USSF) is the newest branch of the Armed Forces, established December 20, 2019, with the enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The USSF is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world’s first and currently only independent space force.
In response to this brash answer, US Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the top GOP member of the House Armed Services Committee, called on Psaki to “immediately apologize to the men and women of the Space Force for this disgraceful comment.”Speaking to Politico, Rogers exclaimed, “It’s concerning to see the Biden administration’s press secretary blatantly diminish an entire branch of our military as the punchline of a joke, which I’m sure China would find funny.”
Source: The NY Times
US Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a founding member of the House Space Force Caucus, also blasted Psaki’s remarks saying, “This is just another example of the Biden administration not taking China seriously while demeaning the incredible work of Space Force personnel.”
After the furor that her statement sparked, Psaki took to Twitter in an apparent response to the matter, saying, “We look forward to the continuing work of Space Force and invite the members of the team to come visit us in the briefing room anytime to share an update on their important work.”
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