Fox's Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Josh Earnest Spar Over Obama's Paris Response

"Fox & Friends" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest sparred Wednesday morning, after she pressed him hard about President Barack Obama calling last Friday's attacks in Paris a "setback" and Secretary of State John Kerry referring to the Charlie Hebdo attacks earlier this year as "understandable."

"Would you go back and ask for that language to be changed at this point, to reflect some sort of solidarity and intentional aggression against ISIS?" she asked him during the morning interview. 

"I mean, to call this understandable as it relates to Charlie Hebdo and call this a 'setback' seems awful, at least to the American people."

And when Earnest replied that he'd encourage her to "spend as much time focusing on the president's actions as you do his words," and reminded her that President Barack Obama described the attacks as "sickening."

"Josh, I will stop you there," Hasselbeck jumped in, with Earnest responding, "Let me finish my answer," the press secretary responded. "If you have me on your show to talk about a serious issue, give me an opportunity to answer the question."

"I would love for you to answer it," Hasselbeck told him.

"Elisabeth, if you want to have me on the show to talk about something serious as national security, ask me a question and I'll answer it," Earnest replied.

She jumped back in to tell him that "we've played fair before" and "I would let you know the president's words matter to me, not just to the American people, but to those around the globe who are very concerned now. Our president's words matter. He called it a 'setback.' Why? Just a 'setback' seems cavalier. Go ahead and answer the question."

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