James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:48 P.M. EDT
MR. MEAGHER: Hello, everyone. Good afternoon. As you can see things are changing and moving pretty rapidly around here today.
Obviously, we've had some last-minute adju- — adjustments to the briefing, which is why I'm up here today. I know folks might have some questions after the statement that we just released from Jen. And we in the Press Office are going to strive throughout the rest of the day to get you the answers to the questions you might have.
A few additions beyond Jen's statement that I can provide right now. No members of the press who attended the briefing yesterday are considered to be close contacts. We are considering con- — or we are currently conducting contact tracing, and any member of the press who is considered to be a close contact will be contacted. But if a close contact is determined, it would — it would not be through yesterday's briefing. So, we just wanted to be clear about that.
I'm going to speak briefly about the first day and a half of Judge Jackson's committee hearing, and then I'm going to pass it over to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who will make some remarks at the top and then he's happy to take some questions on the trip. And he has a hard out where — I'll call it.
And then again, please let us know if you have any follow ups after the briefing. We'll strive to get you answers, and we appreciate everybody's flexibility today.
With that, just a couple of things from the first day and a half of Judge Jackson's committee hearing. The President watched portions of Judge Jackson's hearing yesterday and today and is proud of the way she is showcasing her extraordinary qualifications, her experience, and her even-handedness. Her dedication to following the facts, the law, and our Constitution as an independent judge is clear.
He was also moved by the grace and dignity she has shown, the deference to senators, and the level of detail she is offering, reinforcing the value of her experience, her intellect, and the strength of her character.
The President was particularly struck when, reacting to Senator Leahy raising the broad support she'd received from the law enforcement community, Judge Jackson spoke about her family members who have served as police officers, saying, "I know what it's like to have loved ones who go off to protect and to serve, and the fear of not knowing whether or not they're going to come home again because of crime in the community. Those are not abstract concepts or political slogans to me."
As a former Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, President Biden also appreciated her respect for the intent of lawmakers and the text of the law. He appreciated Judge Jackson's commitment to stay in the lane of judges prescribed by the Constitution and her highlighting the importance of precedent.
He was also struck by how she swiftly dismantled conspiracy theories put forward in bad faith. They've been debunked by numerous fact checks, experts, and the record itself.
In selecting Judge Jackson, President Biden sought the opinions of Republicans and Democrats, who made clear they wanted someone have deep experience in the mold of Justice Breyer.
Today's testimony and Judge Jackson's endorsements by leading conservative jurists and some of the biggest law enforcement organizations in our country make clear she is indeed in Justice Breyer's mold.
And with that, I'll turn it over to Jake, who has a topper for you, and then he'll take some questions. Thanks.
MR. SULLIVAN: Good afternoon, everybody. I'll make a few comments, and then, as Chris said, I'd be happy to take your questions.
The President is heading to Europe tomorrow to reinforce the incredible unity we built with Allies and partners in response to Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine and to consult on next steps.
Let me take a moment to set the context for this trip. Russia intended to accomplish three basic objectives in launching its unprovoked attack against Ukraine: first, to subjugate Ukraine; second, to enhance Russian power and prestige; and third, to divide and weaken the West.
Russia has thus far manifestly failed to accomplish all three objectives. In fact, it has thus far achieved the opposite.
On the first, the brave citizens of Ukraine are refusing to submit. They're fighting back. They're defending their homes. They're defending their cities. And although Russia may take more territory in these brutal military operations, it will never take the country away from the Ukrainian people.
On the second, Russian power and prestige has been badly depleted. The Russian military has dramatically underperformed. The Russian economy has been rocked by powerful sanctions. The Russian high-tech and defense sectors are being choked off from key inputs. And Russia is a pariah in the international community.
On the third, the nations of the free world are more united, more determined, and more purposeful than at any point in recent memory.
For our part, since President Biden and the United States began warning the world of impending Russian aggression back in November, we have clearly and consistently pursued three lines of effort: first, help Ukraine defend itself by supplying weapons and military equipment; second, impose severe and escalating economic costs on Russia through the application of unprecedented sanctions in close coordination with Allies and partners in Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and other parts of the world; and third, fortify NATO and the Western Alliance by enhancing our force posture on the eastern flank and making our allies more resilient against other forms of Russian aggression.
We've made decisive moves on all three fronts, and President Biden's trip will involve further actions on each of these three fronts.
He will attend an emergency NATO Summit, joined by the leaders of the other 29 NATO Allies. He will join the G7 leaders. And he will address the 27 leaders of the European Union at a session of the European Council. He will have the opportunity to coordinate on the next phase of military assistance to Ukraine.
He will join our partners in imposing further sanctions on Russia and tightening the existing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to ensure robust enforcement.
He will work with Allies on longer-term adjustments to NATO force posture on the eastern flank. He will announce joint action on enhancing European energy security and reducing Europe's dependence on Russian gas at long last.
He will announce further American contributions to a coordinated humanitarian response to ease the suffering of civilians inside Ukraine and to respond to the growing flow of refugees.
From Brussels, President Biden will travel to Poland, where he will engage with U.S. troops who are now helping to defend NATO territory, and he will meet with experts involved in the humanitarian response.
He will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Duda of Poland.
