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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre received significant backlash after wrongly stating the results of a poll measuring support for President Joe Biden’s far-reaching pardon for his son Hunter issued last Sunday.
In her attempt to defend the pardon, which both she and the president had said numerous times that he wasn’t going to grant, Jean-Pierre talked about what a “difficult” decision it had been and that the American people recognized that.
She then proceeded to cite a poll, the results of which were the opposite of what she claimed, Fox News reported. “I think it’s important to note here, as you’re asking me these questions — important questions to ask — that there was a poll, a U.S. Gov [sic] poll that came out that, some of you all reported on it,” she said.
“And it said 64% of the American people agree with the pardon — 64% of the American people. So, we get a sense of where the American people are on this. Obviously, it’s one poll, but it gives you a little bit of insight. Sixty-four percent is nothing to sneeze at,” she emphasized.
Again she said, “I called out the U.S. Gov [sic]. poll where 64% of Americans, that’s not a small number, agree with the president’s decision to pardon his son.”
However, the poll she was citing was from YouGov, not U.S. Gov, which doesn’t exist. The poll shows that 64% of Democrats supported the pardon, but of the American people, only 34% “strongly” or “somewhat” approved of the pardon, while 50% of Americans either “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproved, according to the outlet.
The features editor of “Check Your Facts” pushed back on social media, writing that “She’s wrong. The YouGov poll shows 64% of Democrats, not 64% of Americans, supported the pardon. 34% of Americans overall supported it, with 50% disapproving.”