“Does the president think it’s appropriate for abortion rights protesters to intimidate Supreme Court justices when they’re out to eat, like Brett Cavanaugh, who had to sneak out of a steakhouse? [Wednesday] Night?” Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre. “The president has been very clear that we condemn any intimidation of judges,” Jean-Pierre replied. Later, Ducey asked, “If these protesters can go to a justice’s house and they can go to a restaurant, where is it that you don’t think it’s appropriate for a group of protesters to go?” “You asked me about bullying,” Jean-Pierre replied. “We condemn bullying. We condemn all violence… Peaceful protest — people should be allowed — to be able to do that.” “In a restaurant?” Ducey replied. Cavanaugh was eating at a Morton steakhouse while people protested outside. Andrew Harnik/AP “If it’s outside a restaurant, if it’s quiet, sure,” the spokesperson replied. “Really?” Ducey asked incredulously, later asking, “That doesn’t create a potentially really bad situation when there are people — even if they’re peaceful at the time, they’re angry. And that’s what he would be there for, right?’ “Peter, we condemned all bullying and violence,” said Jean-Pierre, who later signaled the end of the back-and-forth by saying, “I’m done here, Peter.” The exchange came two days after pro-abortion protesters converged on Cavanaugh while he was eating out at Morton’s Steakhouse, with some activists urging people to call the restaurant and denounce its hospitality to justice.
Cavanaugh finished his meal before walking out the back door undisturbed by the protesters — whom he did not hear or see, Politico reported, citing a person familiar with the situation. White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre applauded protesters outside a restaurant where Judge Brett Kavanaugh dined. Susan Walsh/AP However, the chain claimed in a statement that the protesters had “harassed” Justice and other patrons. The demonstration came almost exactly a month after Cavanaugh was targeted by a would-be killer who was caught on foot from the judge’s Maryland home with an arsenal that included a Glock 17 pistol, two magazines and ammunition and a tactical knife. The government has repeatedly refused to sentence abortion rights protesters who appear outside the homes of conservative judges on a regular basis since the publication in May of a leaked draft opinion overturning 49-year-old precedent establishing abortion rights nationwide. . Law enforcement officers stand guard as protesters march past the home of Chief Justice John Roberts on June 8. Nathan Howard/Getty Images Even after the attempt on Kavanaugh’s life, Jean-Pierre told reporters, “We haven’t weighed in on where people should or shouldn’t protest. We said that all Americans have the right to peacefully protest, whatever their views, but that attempts at intimidation and violence are completely unacceptable and should be condemned whenever they happen, regardless of who is doing it.” Meanwhile, Biden didn’t hesitate to throw rhetorical bombs at the high court on Friday as he signed an executive order calling on his administration to help women seeking abortions. “The Court and its allies are committed to moving America backwards with fewer rights, less autonomy, and politicians intruding on the most personal decisions,” the president said. “We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in concert with extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away our liberties and personal autonomy.” That rebuke came days after Biden’s extraordinary attack on the judiciary during a press conference at the NATO summit in Spain, where the president said the court’s “outrageous behavior” had a “destabilizing” influence on America.