White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby got into an altercation with Al Jazeera journalist Kimberly Halkett at a briefing.
According to Fox News, the reason was a discussion about US actions in the Middle East region. The journalist pressured Kirby, asking if U.S. leader Joe Biden could have ordered a strike against the Houthis in Yemen without congressional approval, to which Kirby said Biden had the right to do so under the Constitution.
“Kirby was visibly annoyed when Halkett went on and said the American people were ‘displeased’ with Biden’s actions,” the TV station noted.
Things got even more heated when the reporter asked if Biden was taking his ratings into account when considering a strategy for action in the region.
In response, Kirby interrupted Halkett to say that the president “doesn’t take the political calendar into account” when he is engaged in “defending” US troops, and called any such suggestion offensive.
Earlier, the White House said US President Joe Biden was considering options for responding to a strike on US forces in Jordan.
At the same time, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the US National Security Council, said that Washington was not seeking war and conflict with Iran.