White House Press Secretary on Sandra Fluke (2012 August 8)

White House Press Secretary on Sandra Fluke

James "Jay" Carney

The White House James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

August 8, 2012 The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

August 08, 2012

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Denver, Colorado, 8/8/2012

Aboard Air Force One

En Route Denver, Colorado

12:05 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Good day, friends. Thank you for joining us aboard Air Force One as we make our way to Colorado. Jen Psaki and I will be briefing again -- together again today.

I have one quick announcement to make, which is, at the top of the flight, the beginning of the flight, the President had a phone call -- phone conversation with the Prime Minister of India. The President expressed his condolences to the Prime Minister because, as you know, several of the victims in the shooting in Wisconsin were Indian nationals.

The two leaders spoke about their shared commitment to tolerance and religious freedom. And the President again reiterated his appreciation for the significant contributions that Sikhs make to the broader American community, and again reiterated his condolences.

I believe Jen has a topper as well. MS. PSAKI: The President, as you know, is kicking off this morning a two-day trip to Colorado. The first event will be focused on -- he will focus his remarks on his commitment to ensuring women have access to affordable health care, can make choices about their health care decisions. And it will just serve as a reminder to women in Colorado and women across the country of the stakes in this election that we are facing.

The women -- the audience will also have a heavier concentration of women. Men, of course, are allowed into the event. But we did include, in addition to inviting people of the community -- it’s free and open to the public -- we did invite several local women’s groups and organizations.

As you know, Sandra Fluke will be introducing the President at the event this morning. She had an op-ed this morning in a local paper, I encourage you to read. And finally, Elizabeth Banks -- excellent actress -- put out -- is featured in a video the campaign put out overnight, also talking about the same issues and the stakes for women in this election.

____________________