White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre raised eyebrows with her response to questions about the death of former football player O.J. Simpson.
Her brief and somewhat awkward reply during Thursday’s White House press briefing sparked more reactions for what was not said than her words expressing condolences to the “family and loved ones” of the 76-year-old former Buffalo Bills player.
“So I’ll say this, our thoughts are with, uh, are with his families (sic) during this difficult time, obviously with his family and loved ones,” Jean-Pierre said after a reporter asked what President Joe Biden’s reaction was to the news and whether he had ever crossed paths with the Heisman Trophy winner.
“And I’ll say this, I know that they have asked for some privacy, and so we’re going to respect that. I’ll just leave it there,” the press secretary added.
🚨🇺🇸 BIDEN WHITE HOUSE OFFERS CONDOLENCES ON OJ SIMPSON’S DEATH — DOES NOT MENTION MURDER VICTIMS
Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre:
“Our thoughts are with his families [sic] during this difficult time — obviously with his family and loved ones” https://t.co/SNvdkTnwt1 pic.twitter.com/7KVTYWwFNr
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 11, 2024
There was no mention by Jean-Pierre of the families of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman who were murdered in June 1994. The case against Simpson, who was arrested and charged after an infamous car chase, was dubbed the “trial of the century” and ended with the former NFL player being found “not guilty” in the deaths.
Simpson was later found liable in a civil lawsuit filed by Goldman’s family and was ordered to pay $33.5 million. Though he famously avoided jail time, a later run-in with the law landed him behind bars after he and a group of men nabbed sports memorabilia in 2007 at the Palace Station casino and hotel in Las Vegas.
“The former football star initially said the memorabilia had been taken from him and he wanted it back. The heist resulted in Simpson being charged with a handful of felonies including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery and using a deadly weapon,” Daily Mail noted. “He served nine years in prison over these charges after being convicted in 2008 of 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint at Palace Station.”
Simpson’s family announced his death on Thursday.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” they said in a post on X. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre’s brief response to Simpson’s death garnered plenty of reaction on social media though some X users wondered why the White House even needed to address Simpson’s passing.
Completely ignores the family of the two slaughtered people.🤦🏻♀️
— Bama_Girl2022 🇺🇸 (@Bama_Girl2020) April 11, 2024
Unbelievable!
— Pat Licata (@patlicata) April 11, 2024
Could have just said, “the administration has no comment on that”. End of story. Did they forget he was a convicted felon? Now, it’s getting traction. Political misconduct.
— Frank J. Kadel, D.O. FACOS (@GetFitnBeLean) April 11, 2024
Were they asked about this? Just curious why the White House feels the need to address OJ Simpson’s death.
— pizzacarl (@pizzacarl) April 11, 2024
Why does the president have to have thoughts on OJ Simpson? Weird. I’d be like no, I don’t have any thoughts on that bruh.
— MiddleMaga.com (@StucknDaMid) April 12, 2024
