John Kirby, a White House spokesman for the Biden administration’s National Security Council, issued an apology on Tuesday for inaccurately stating that the U.S. had informed Iraq in advance of Friday’s attacks against terrorists supported by Iran.
During a news conference shortly after the strikes in response to the deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on January 28th, Kirby had asserted that Washington had provided Baghdad with early notice, but this turned out to be untrue.
“I deeply apologize for the error, and I regret any confusion that it caused,” Kirby told reporters.
“It was based on information we had, or that a witness provided to me, in those early hours after the strikes. It turns out, that information was incorrect, and I certainly regret the error,” Kirby continued.
“And I hope that you’ll understand there was no ill intent behind it—no deliberate intent to deceive or to be wrong. I take those responsibilities very, very seriously. And I deeply regret the mistake that I made.”
Known for his colorful off-camera remarks as a consistent co-host of White House briefings, Kirby is considered a potential contender for presidential press secretary in the future if Biden is re-elected.
“I made a mistake there on Friday night,” he added. “I do really regret it, and I promise you I will do a better job going forward and work harder to not put bad information out there. Again, my apologies.”
This apology stands in contrast to the Biden administration’s handling of other embarrassing mistakes, such as President Biden’s 2022 inquiry, “Where’s Jackie?” when searching for the late Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) at a public event. Walorski had previously died in a car accident in August of that year.
During a news briefing responding to inquiries about Biden’s Walorski blunder, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre maintained that Walorski was “top of mind,” refusing to acknowledge that Biden had made a mistake, which puzzled reporters at the time.
