Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki roasted various Jan. 6 witnesses for testimonies where they shelled out “a lot of versions of the pleading the Fifth.” (You can watch Psaki’s comments below.)
Psaki, who is set to host an MSNBC show next year, joined “Morning Joe” on that network Thursday to discuss the several witnesses who invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination ― a list that includes Roger Stone, John Eastman and Michael Flynn ― during their testimonies for the Jan. 6 committee’s investigation.
Witnesses invoked the Fifth in response to a range of questions, including inquiries related to age, where they lived and whether they planned to use their right to remain silent when answering future questions.
After “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough said the testimonies don’t look good for former President Donald Trump “or his band of insurrectionists,” Psaki remarked that Trump must have been “so disgusted” by the witness testimony transcripts released earlier this week.
“Look, I think reading through these transcripts, what was more interesting probably than the answers ― which was a lot of versions of the pleading the Fifth ― but were the questions and when they pleaded the Fifth,” Psaki said.
She noted that some witnesses were asked about the rule of law and whether it should be respected in the U.S. ― and they pleaded the Fifth in response.
“So there’s a lot to unpack here,” Psaki said. “But the questions and the refusal to answer ― not just basic information, but information about who we are as a country ― is also quite telling, in terms of who these characters are whose transcripts were released last night.”