Karine Jean-Pierre, the principal deputy press secretary for the White House, held a televised briefing for the first time on Wednesday, a baptism-by-fire moment that came shortly after a mass shooting and a request from President Biden that U.S. intelligence officials delve deeper into the origins of the coronavirus. In her first outing, Ms. Jean-Pierre was immediately pushed for specifics about why Mr. Biden had ordered a 90-day review of the latest analysis on the virus, including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident. She offered none. “Right now we’re just going to focus on the president’s announcement on the 90-day investigation,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said when asked what would happen if Chinese officials refused to cooperate with investigations. “We will have more to share after the 90 days,” she said when asked whether the results of the investigation would be made public.

Source: New York Times May 26, 2021 15:21 UTC