In Wednesday’s White House press briefing, Jen Psaki was asked about the Biden administration’s rather disjointed reaction to a federal judge in Florida striking down the CDC’s mask mandate for travelers and its delayed response to the ruling — as Townhall reported earlier this week.

But when given the opportunity to explain and justify the Biden administration’s decision to appeal the federal judge’s invalidation of the CDC’s federal mask mandate, Psaki admitted that the White House would fight the ruling in order to “preserve that authority for the CDC to have in the future.” That is, it’s not about The Science(TM), it’s about protecting power.

“We are entirely able to, and legally able to, be a part of the discussion,” Psaki told reporters about the Biden administration’s appeal. “But right now we of course are deferring to the CDC on what they believe is needed at this moment,” she said despite the fact that the White House has repeatedly gotten in front of CDC guidance in the past.