President Joe Biden set off some critics looking for things to complain about when he accidentally referred to Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Indiana), who died in a car crash last month in Indiana, as if she was still alive and present at the event.
Biden was at the White House conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health and was commending U.S. Representatives who had co-sponsored an upcoming bill addressing food insecurity, which included Walorski. She was even the co-chair of the House Hunger Committee.
“I want to thank all of you who are here including bipartisan elected officials like Rep. McGovern, Sen. Braun, Sen. Booker Representative – Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” Biden said during his speech.
This confused some watchers, as Biden had issued a statement along with Dr. Jill Biden saying he was “shocked and saddened” by Walorski’s passing in the wake of the crash.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has denied that there was any gaffe, saying “he was thinking about her as he was – as he was naming out and calling out the congressional champions on this issue.”
