Jen Psaki Comes Out in Defense of Democrat Meddling in GOP Primaries

On “Morning Joe,” former White House press secretary Jen Psaki tried to justify Democrats intervening in Republican primaries, claiming that the GOP’s leadership is an “existential” threat to the rights of women and minorities.

Democrats, according to Psaki, have given money to the campaigns far-right politicians because Republican leadership is supposedly a threat to many Americans’ “basic liberties.”

“I think what’s left out of that story and a lot of Democrats tell me when I’ve asked them about this is they see that the leadership of Kevin McCarthy or Mitch McConnell to be existential to the rights of women, to the right to vote, to fundamental rights for people across the country.” Psaki claimed.

Psaki referred to the Sept. 14 New Hampshire primary, in which candidates favored by former President Donald Trump triumphed.

She believes that Democratic participation in Republican primaries is a feasible election strategy that may ultimately help Democrats prevail in general elections.

Psaki said she stands by this strategy even if there is a potential it could backfire on Democrats at some point.

“It’s been true this cycle as well, I mean if you look at New Hampshire, the Democrats and the Republicans were both trying to boost up the moderate Republican who did not win the primary because they thought he would win. This is not about morality on the Republican side, this is about trying to win on both sides and that’s what they’re doing,” Psaki said.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Governors’ Association (DGA) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Trump-backed Republican candidates who questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, believing that it would improve their chances of winning in general elections.

As, at least by their own calculations, more extreme Republican candidates will be easy to beat than more moderate candidates put forward by the party.

The DGA spent over $821,000 on campaign ads for far-right candidates in hopes they would defeat GOP moderates according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.