Jen Psaki Has To Correct Her Book After Lying About Biden Not Checking Watch At Ceremony

Jen Psaki recently released a book called "Say More," in which the now MSNBC host shares lessons she learned from her time as White House Press Secretary for Joe Biden.

In the book, Psaki defends Biden against criticism that he infamously looked down on his watch three times during a 2021 ceremony honoring the soldiers killed during his withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"The president looked at his watch only after the ceremony had ended," said the passage in the book. "Moments later, he and the First Lady headed toward their car."

Psaki then accused critics of misleading the public by portraying Biden as "insensitive, concerned only about how much time had passed."

Her telling of the event made it past her editors – but not Axios. 

On Monday, the outlet called her out on her false recollection:

"Psaki’s new account is at odds with fact-checks at the time, news agencies’ photos from the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, and on-the-record statements from Gold Star families who were there."

"The Associated Press photographer on the tarmac snapped two photos of Biden looking at his watch twice and 10 minutes apart, as fact-checkers at USA Today and Snopes noted soon afterward."

Psaki also mistakenly cited a passage from The Washington Post to bolster her account.

The sentences she quoted were from USA Today’s fact-check article — not the Post.

That article noted Biden looked at his watch at the end of the dignified transfer of the troops’ bodies, but also concluded that "photos and video show [Biden] also checked his watch during the ceremony."

Psaki initially declined to comment on the book review. But scrutiny mounted after Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida accused Paski of depicting Gold Star families as liars.

".@jrpsaki I’ve spoke to these parents," Waltz posted on X. "Calling Gold Star families liars - even when there’s photographic proof - is a pathetic partisan attempt to defend your boss and a bad look."

By Monday afternoon, Psaki changed her tone and provided Axios with the following comment:

"Detail in a few lines of the book about the exact number of times he looked at his watch will be removed in future reprints and the ebook."

"The story on Afghanistan is really about the importance of delivering feedback even when it is difficult told through my own experience of telling President Biden that his own story of loss was not well received by the families who were grieving their sons and daughters."

Psaki, known for her unwavering support for Biden, joined MSNBC in 2022 following a bidding war between the network and CNN.

MSNBC thinks highly of Psaki, often including her on tentpole coverage for primary elections and debates. She fits. 

Psaki was one of the NBC Mean Girls who chased Ronna McDaniel out of the company earlier this year for "lies" told as the Republican National Committee chairwoman.

So fetch.

Psaki's lie about Biden's watch is consistent with other lies she told on behalf of her former boss. Notably, Psaki lied about Afghanistan, called the 2016 election "rigged," and about Border Patrol agents "whipping" Haitian migrants.

She has yet to correct those lies.

If you read Jen Psaki's new book, please, tell us how you liked it. Surely, she told more fibs than just the one.