MSNBC host Jen Psaki responds to criticism for her monologue on Wednesday’s broadcast of her show “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” on the trans person who committed a mass shooting at a church on the property of a Catholic church. Transcript, via MSNBC:

JEN PSAKI, HOST: So the White House decided to hold a press briefing today.  What a day to hold a briefing.  One where, believe it or not, I came up personally.  And I will definitely get to that, I promise.  But I’m starting with a couple of others.  So let’s start with Brandon Tatum, who is a YouTuber.   (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)   BRANDON TATUM, YOUTUBER:  I want to ask you the question of, we know that it’s not a gun thing.  Any rational person knows it’s not a gun thing.  We know it’s a mental health issue.  So I want to know from you, what does President Trump and the White House going to do to address mental health issues around the country associated with these shootings?     (END VIDEO CLIP)   PSAKI:  Well, first off, Brandon, feels like someone in the White House may have written that question for you, but it is definitely a gun thing.  And any rational person knows that.  Because mental health issues are not a unique issue to the United States.  But guess what is?  Gun violence.  We have more guns per capita than any other developed country, and also a higher rate of gun violence than any other developed country.  So, yeah, Brandon, it’s the guns.     And for what the administration will do to address mental health issues around the country, which I certainly hope they do more, I mean, right now they are talking about targeting SSRI medication, which people use to combat depression.  So it’s a little bit of a bizarre strategy, Brandon.     Now, if we actually want to talk about mental health issues, which I agree is a major issue, we could talk about expanding mental health access or putting money toward community outreach programs, or we could talk about how to combat online radicalization, as it appears like this — this shooter, like others, was influenced by a fringe extremist and nihilistic online culture.  I think we both know they actually have no intention of doing any of those things.     All right, Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News go ahead.     (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)   GABE GUTIERREZ, NBC REPORTER:  The firing of the CDC director.     KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY:  Sure.     GUTIERREZ:  Who will replace her?  And then also, overnight, the White House said that she did not align with the president’s agenda.  Dr. Monarez’s attorneys say that she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific and reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.  What specifically did she do wrong?     (END VIDEO CLIP)   PSAKI:  Well, what she did was actually very right, which was to listen to the science and the data and the experts, and not the conspiratorial recommendations of RFK Jr. when she made her COVID vaccine recommendations.  So putting expertise over ideology is what RFK Jr. thinks she did wrong.  The White House even said it out loud in their statement when they said she, quote, wasn’t aligned with the president’s mission to make America healthy again.  Sure, sure about that.     As for who will replace her?  While the White House has tapped RFK Jr.’s deputy, Jim O’Neill, as the new acting CDC director, and one HHS official told us that O’Neill will, quote, Do anything Secretary Kennedy and Stefanie Spear will tell him to do. And that quote pretty much tells you all you need to know about that guy.     OK, one more, Reagan Reese, Daily Caller, why not?     (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)   REAGAN REESE, DAILY CALLER:  Democrats, including former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey attacked prayer and pushed gun control in the aftermath of yesterday’s shooting.  What’s the White House’s response to their comments?     (END VIDEO CLIP)   PSAKI:  Well, it’s quite a phrasing of your question there.  But here’s the thing, prayer is a powerful source of comfort for so many people around the world during difficult times, including me.  I completely feel that way.  And what I said yesterday and will say again now, though, is that prayer alone is not enough to prevent and end the crisis of gun violence in America.  It’s not.     Here are some stats for use by anyone in the briefing room, whether you’re at the podium or in the room.  We live in a country where there are more guns than people.  There have been five school shootings since the start of the school year on August 1st, less than a month ago, and 57 school shootings since January.  And the fact that parents like me have to worry every day about whether or not our kids are safe at school is what we should be talking about.     So the issue I raised yesterday and I will raise again today and I will not stop raising, is that people in power, like, say, people in the White House, who are using their platforms to do anything other than call for action for sensible gun safety measures, they’re doing anything else, like attacking me, which is a waste of time, they’re doing anything but saying what they should — what should be done to help prevent tragedies like the shooting in Minneapolis.  And because they’re not doing that, frankly, they’re not doing enough.  And people shouldn’t accept they’re doing enough.     So instead of focusing on the bad faith back and forth, I hope the question someone asks in the next briefing, anyone in the room, is why the Trump administration doesn’t support universal background checks for gun sales when more than 80 percent of the country supports them.  Why the Trump administration doesn’t support making it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun, despite more than 80 percent of the country supporting that.  And why the Trump administration doesn’t support a ban on assault weapons when the majority of the country does.     Look, to solve this long epidemic of violence requires action.  And when kids in pews who are praying are shot, to quote the statement from Sisters of Mercy on the Minnesota Catholic school shooting, our response can no longer be thoughts and prayers alone.  Even Pope Leo, then a cardinal, I will note, retweeted Senator Chris Murphy in 2017, saying, Your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers. I would retweet that too, and continue to.  

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