Page 24 - White House

Ensure transparency, respect people's will: White House on Pak elections

The White House has called for ensuring a transparent election process in Pakistan and said there is a need to respect the will of the Pakistani people. US President Joe Biden is aware of the elections in Pakistan, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday. "Obviously, the president is very much aware. Millions of Pakistanis turned out to vote last week, including record numbers of women, members of religious and ethnic minority groups, and young voters," Jean-Pierre said. "So certainly, we congratulate the Pakistani people for participating in last week's elections, including poll workers, civil society members, and journalists and election observers who have protected Pakistan's democratic and electoral institutions," she added.

National security spokesman John Kirby gets expanded role in Biden govt

John Kirby, President Joe Biden's national security spokesman, is getting an expanded role at the White House, according to a US official. Kirby will have a new title, White House national security communications adviser, and will be named an assistant to the White House, the official said on Sunday. The official was not authorised to speak about an appointment that has not been publicly announced and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Details of the expanded role were first reported by Reuters. Kirby came to the White House in 2022 as the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, not long after Karine Jean-Pierre was named White House press secretary, after the departure of former press secretary Jen Psaki. Previously, the NSC didn't have anyone in such a role. He will run a separate team from the national security press team that will coordinate information across agencies, the official said. Kirby is a retired US Navy admiral and has been valued in

Indo-Pacific strategy has enhanced security, prosperity: White House

The execution of Indo-Pacific Strategy has made the United States and the key region more secure and more prosperous, and expanded the bilateral partnership with India in unprecedented ways, the White House said Friday. Addressing the media on the second anniversary of the launch of the landmark foreign policy strategy of the Biden administration, Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council of the White House, said "the United States has never been in a stronger position in the Indo-Pacific". "Over the past two years, we have made historic progress in advancing an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. Thanks to President Biden's leadership, the United States has never been in a stronger position in the Indo-Pacific," she said. In the two years since the launch of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, the US has reinvested and revitalized its alliances and partnerships and taken them to new heights, Watson said. "We have deepene

US envoys write to Congress to pass emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel: WH

American envoys in nine countries, including India and Japan, wrote to the Congress Tuesday urging it to act quickly to pass the President's National Security Supplemental Funding request, including the aid it contains for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, the White House said. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters that nine US ambassadors to countries across the Indo-Pacific have sent the letter. "The ambassadors wrote about how... 'many countries in the Indo-Pacific are intently focused on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East'," Kirby said quoting from the letter. The ambassadors signing the letter included Philip Goldberg of South Korea, Rahm Emanuel of Japan, Caroline Kennedy of Australia, MaryKay Carlson of the Philippines, Eric Garcetti of India, Nicholas Burns of China, Tom Udall of New Zealand, Edgard Kagan of Malaysia and Marc Knapper of Vietnam. "Governments are watching what we

US doesn't seek another war: WH on drone strike by Iran-backed group

A day after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, the White House on Monday said it does not want to seek another war or escalate the tension, but would absolutely do what is required to protect itself in the region. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here that the attack also sent more than 30 US soldiers to hospital, some with serious injuries. "These troops were conducting a vital mission in the region, aimed at helping US work with partners to counter ISIS. And even as the Defense Department gathers more information about the attack, that mission must and will continue," he said. "The counter-ISIS mission is separate and distinct ..indeed it has been longstanding and unrelated to our efforts to support Israel and to prevent a wider conflict in the region," Kirby said. "We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what

US, Chinese officials hold over 12-hour meet in Bangkok: White House

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held more than 12 hours of meetings in Bangkok, the White House said Monday. "Over the weekend, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held more than 12 hours of meetings in Bangkok with his counterpart from the People's Republic of China, Director Wang Yi," John Kirby, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House told reporters at a news conference here. "Sullivan and Director Wang took stock of progress on key issues following the meeting between President (Joe) Biden and (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) back in November. Now, that includes discussing efforts to resume military-to-military communication, which has occurred; addressing artificial intelligence safety and risks; and advancing bilateral counter-narcotics cooperation," Kirby said. In fact, the launch of a working group on counter-narcotics will begin Tuesday in Beijing. The US delegation will be led by Deputy Homeland ...

Trump WH official convicted of defying Jan 6 subpoena to be sentenced

A Trump White House official convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol is set to be sentenced on Thursday. Prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence Peter Navarro to six months behind bars and impose a USD 200,000 fine. He was the second Trump aide to face contempt of Congress charges. Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House on January 6 committee. Navarro served as a White House trade adviser under then-President Donald Trump and later promoted the Republican's baseless claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election he lost. Navarro has vowed to appeal the verdict, saying he couldn't cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege. A judge barred him from making that argument at trial, however, finding that he didn't show Trump had actually invoked it. Justice Department prosecutors say Navarro tri

Trump WH official Navarro loses bid for new contempt of Congress trial

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a bid for a new trial for Peter Navarro, a Trump White House official convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the US Capitol attack. Navarro, who served as a White House trade advisor under President Donald Trump, was found guilty by a jury in Washington's federal court for defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House January 6 committee. He's scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Navarro's lawyers argued he was entitled to a new trial, alleging that jurors may have been improperly influenced by political protesters when they took a break outside the courthouse before announcing a verdict in September. But US District Judge Amit Mehta said in his ruling that Navarro has not shown that "any prejudice resulted from the jury's eight-minute break outside the courthouse". Jurors only interacted with one another and the court officer who accompanied them, no one ...

Right time for Israel to scale back military offensive in Gaza: White House

The White House said on Sunday that it's the right time for Israel to scale back its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli leaders again vowed to press ahead with their operation against the territory's ruling Hamas militant group. The comments exposed the growing differences between the close allies on the 100th day of the war. Also Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon following a Hezbollah missile attack that killed two Israeli civilians an older woman and her adult son in northern Israel. The exchange of fire underscored concerns that the Gaza violence could trigger wider fighting across the region. The war in Gaza, launched by Israel in response to the unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas, has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, devastated vast swaths of Gaza, driven around 85 per cent of the territory's 2.3 million residents from their homes and pushed a quarter of the population into starvation. Speaking on CBS, White House National Security Coun

Trump's comeback endorsed by former rival Burgum ahead of Iowa caucuses

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum endorsed Donald Trump's comeback bid for the White House on Sunday ahead of the Iowa caucuses, a month after he ended his own longshot campaign for the Republican nomination. Burgum appeared on stage with the former president at a rally in Indianola, where he heaped praise for Trump. "I've had an opportunity to have a front-row seat," Burgum said. "I've seen President Trump and what he's been able to do. I've seen it as a business leader and I've seen it as a governor. I've seen the difference that President Trump can make." The support from Burgum, who did not build a substantial base in his own presidential campaign, is unlikely to make a difference in the Monday caucuses, which polls indicate Trump is likely to dominate. But it reflects the sense of inevitability surrounding Trump's candidacy as his remaining rivals try to build their movement against him. When Burgum dropped out, he blamed his inability to resonate in the race on the Republican

US Congressional leaders ready stopgap bill to extend govt funding

Another extension has moved into focus as Congress appears on track to miss two staggered deadlines - January19 for passage of four of the 12 annual government-funding bills and February 2 for others

Apple to fight watch ban in court after White House declines to act

Apple had already stopped selling its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches in its online store and US retail outlets

US Steel sale to Japanese company warrants 'serious scrutiny': White House

President Joe Biden believes serious scrutiny is warranted for the planned acquisition of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, the White House said Thursday after days of silence on a transaction that has drawn alarm from the steelworkers union. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, indicated the deal would be reviewed by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which she participates in and includes economic and national security agency representatives to investigate national security risks from foreign investments in American firms. She said in a statement that Biden believes the purchase of this iconic American-owned company by a foreign entity even one from a close ally appears to deserve serious scrutiny in terms of its potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability. This looks like the type of transaction that the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment Congress empowered and the Biden administration ...

Judge criticises Trump's witness, refuses request to toss fraud lawsuit

Former President Donald Trump has lost his latest bid to end the business fraud lawsuit he faces in New York as he campaigns to reclaim the White House. Judge Arthur Engoron issued a written ruling on Monday denying the Republican's latest request for a verdict in his favour in a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. And in doing so, the judge dismissed the credibility of one of Trump's expert witnesses at the trial, a professor who testified that he saw no fraud in the former president's financial statements. The trial is centred on allegations Trump and other company officials exaggerated his wealth and inflated the value of his assets to secure loans and close business deals. In the three-page ruling, Engoron wrote that the most glaring flaw of Trump's argument was to assume that the testimony provided by Eli Bartov, an accounting professor at New York University, and other expert witnesses would be accepted by the court as true and accurate. Bartov is a .

Hunter Biden indicted on tax charges in new criminal case: Report

Prosecutors working for Special Counsel David Weiss accused Hunter Biden of tax crimes from 2016 through 2019, including spending millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying tax

Those behind assassination plot need to be held accountable: US to India

India is a strategic partner for the United States, the White House has said as it urged New Delhi to hold accountable those responsible for the plot to assassinate a separatist Sikh leader, who is an American citizen. India is a strategic partner. We're deepening that strategic partnership. They're a member of the Quad in the Pacific. We participate with them on a range of issues and we want to see that continue unabated. That said, at the same time, we certainly recognise the seriousness of these allegations, National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a White House news conference here. Kirby was responding to a question on the impact that the alleged plot would have on the bilateral India-US relationship. We want it fully investigated and those responsible to be held properly accountable, he said. It's under active investigation. We've said that we're glad that our Indian counterparts are taking it seriously and doing that. We want those responsible for these ...

US nearly out of funds for Ukraine aid, White House warns Congress

The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress an urgent warning about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine, saying Kyiv's war effort to defend itself from Russia's invasion may grind to a halt without it. In a letter to House and Senate leaders and also released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the US will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, saying that would kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield. She added that the US already has run out of money that it has used to prop up Ukraine's economy, and if Ukraine's economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop. We are out of money and nearly out of time, she wrote. Biden has sought a nearly USD 106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other needs, but it has faced a difficult reception on Capitol Hill, where there is growing scepticism about the magnitude of ...

US praises India setting up probe on alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist

The White House on Thursday praised New Delhi for setting up its own investigations on the US allegations that an Indian official was involved in a plot to kill separatist Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The unnamed Indian official appeared in an indictment filed by federal prosecutors in a Manhattan court on Wednesday along with an Indian national, who the Department of Justice alleges hired someone in the US to assassinate Pannun, a vocal critic of India and espousing the cause of a separate Khalistan. "These allegations in this investigation, (we) take it very seriously. And we're glad to see that the Indians are too by announcing their own efforts to investigate this. And we've been clear that we want to see anybody that's responsible for these alleged crimes to be held properly accountable," John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here. However, this will not have an impac

Rosalynn Carter set for funeral, burial in the town where she was born

Rosalynn Carter will receive her final farewells on Wednesday in the same tiny town where she was born and that served as a home base as she and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, climbed to the White House and spent four decades thereafter as global humanitarians. The former first lady, who died November 19 at the age of 96, will have her hometown funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where she and her husband spent decades welcoming guests when they were not travelling. The service comes on the last of a three-day public tribute that began on Monday in nearby Americus and continued in Atlanta. Rosalynn Carter will be buried in a plot she will one day share with her husband, the 99-year-old former president who first met his wife of 77 years when she was a newborn, a few days after his mother delivered her. She was born just a few years after women got the right to vote in this small town in the South where people were still plowing their fields behind mules, ...

White House opens accounts for Prez Biden, VP Harris on Meta's Threads

A White House spokeswoman, Robyn Patterson, said the reason for the move is because "we are committed to meeting people where they are."