Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre lambasted Democratic leadership for attacking Joe Biden like a “firing squad” at a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics forum Wednesday.

Jean-Pierre stood by Biden’s achievements, his cognitive fitness, and his decision to run for re-election during the talk. She echoed statements from Michael C. Donilon — a senior advisor to Biden and a current IOP fellow — who defended the former president on the same stage just two weeks ago.

“I believe in what we were trying to get done,” Jean-Pierre said. “I would not have come back into the administration, I don’t think, for anybody else.”

Jean-Pierre said the traditional demands of the role were compounded by the pressure to “represent many communities.”

“You have to outperform,” she said. “You have to be better than everybody before you, because you don’t want to be the last. You want people to see you doing the job and say, ‘Oh yeah, okay, we can see someone else who looks like you be in that job.’”