Former Biden-Harris 2020 coalitions director slams White House statement saying pro-choice activists are 'out of step'
Former Biden-Harris 2020 coalitions director Ashley Allison said that she was disappointed in a White House statement that described pro-choice activists as being "out of step" with the Democratic Party.
Former 2020 National Coalitions Director for President Biden and Vice President Harris Ashley Allison said Sunday that she was offended by a White House statement that said progressive activists were "out of step" with the Democratic Party.
White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, who announced Wednesday she was stepping down later this month, delivered the statement on Saturday in response to criticism of Biden’s handling of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the constitutional right to an abortion.
"Joe Biden’s goal in responding to Dobbs is not to satisfy some activists who have been consistently out of step with the mainstream of the Democratic Party," Bedingfield said. "It’s to deliver help to women who are in danger and assemble a broad-based coalition to defend a woman’s right to choose now, just as he assembled such a coalition to win during the 2020 campaign."
White House Director of Communications Kate Bedingfield speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 30, 2022. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
"State of the Union" host Jake Tapper asked for Allison's reaction to the statement Sunday morning.
"I was disappointed in that statement, as an activist, as someone - she nodded to the coalition that Joe Biden built. I ran the coalition's department on that campaign. Guess who was a part of that coalition? Activists," she said, adding that the protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd helped to invigorate the base and allowed for record turnout.
She said that Democrats need abortion activists heading into the midterms. "These people going into the street, saying that we need bodily autonomy - that is the excitement that Democrats need right now ahead of the midterms - and to demonize them and say, you know, they're not mainstream - Well, abortion is a very popular issue in the country, and it goes across Democratic and Republican lines. I think it was an unforced error and I hope they address it, I'm not sure they will but I took offense to it and a lot of people have," she continued.
Ashley Allison, former 2020 Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris campaign, slammed a White House statement calling activists "out of step." (Screenshot/CNN/StateOfTheUnion)
BIDEN TO SUPPORT ENDING FILIBUSTER TO PROTECT ABORTION ACCESS
Biden said during a press conference at the NATO Summit that he did support ending the filibuster to advance abortion legislation in the Senate.
He also signed two executive orders on Friday that aim to protect access to reproductive health care services, including contraception and abortion.
"I worked hard to get Joe Biden elected and I’m proud of my work. But I will never take for granted the role activists played in 2020 and every great fight for justice. So I spoke my truth!" Allison wrote on Twitter following her appearance on CNN.
The president called on Congress to codify Roe v. Wade again during a Friday speech. He also called on Americans to vote Democrat in November.
"I know it’s frustrating, and it made a lot of people very angry, but the truth is, and it’s not just me saying it, it’s what the court said when you read the decision — the court had made clear it will not protect the rights of women. Period," he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the grounds of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 11, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
"I don’t think the court, or for that matter, the Republicans who for decades have pushed the extreme agenda, have a clue about the power of American women," Biden continued. "But they're about to find out."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Democrats have demanded more fight from the president in the wake of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. The New York Times recently reported that some Democrats believed his initial response to the ruling was inadequate.
A Democrat strategist told the outlet that it didn't seem like the White House had a "game plan" after the decision was handed down.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.