White House condemns red paint protesters left at gates — but goes online to label ripped-down posters ‘wrong’

WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre verbally condemned pro-Palestinian protesters Tuesday for painting the executive mansion’s gates red — but could only spare a tweeted rebuke to sickos caught on camera destroying posters showing people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.

“For the past month, the families of those who have been taken hostage have lived in agony,” Jean-Pierre tweeted shortly after deflecting multiple questions from the briefing room podium. “Tearing down pictures of their loved ones — who are being held hostage by Hamas — is wrong and hurtful.”

Moments earlier, Jean-Pierre was quick to proclaim that President Biden “obviously” disapproved of pro-ceasefire protesters painting the White House’s gates red Saturday as thousands chanted “Genocide Joe!” and “F–k Joe Biden!” in protest of his support for Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.

The removal of “missing” posters has been captured in many widely circulated videos filmed in New York City and elsewhere in the month following Hamas’s murder of at least 1,400 people and abduction of more than 200 others from southern Israel.

Some of the vandals have said on-camera that they are ripping down the images because they oppose Israel.

“Is the White House’s view that these actions should be condemned … or that that’s a form of peaceful protest?” NBC reporter Peter Alexander asked Jean-Pierre at the briefing.

“I’ve sort of, kind of, seen the reporting here and there. I think it was from last week, right?” Jean-Pierre at first deflected.

“There’s been like 30 million videos,” Alexander replied, pressing: “Is that peaceful protest, to pull that down or should you not be doing that?

Jean-Pierre replied, “I’m just not going to go into specifics on that particular thing,” before pivoting to expressing concern about “violent protests and threats” as an administration concern.

“I’d be grateful if you take the question just to see if there is a position the White House has on that, just for going forward because it’s created a lot of divide in this country,” Alexander concluded.

“I’m happy to,” the press secretary said, before tweeting out her clarification moments later.

Biden was at his Rehoboth Beach, Del., home Saturday as pro-Palestinian protesters flooded Pennsylvania Avenue, chanting “Genocide Joe has gotta go!” and “Show your face!” — even at one point pushing on the White House gates.

In addition to red handprints on the masonry of the White House’s Northwest gate, the large protest left pro-Palestinian graffiti on nearby statues and hundreds of signs and stickers affixed to the White House fence.