White House press aide resigns after threatening POLITICO reporter - POLITICO
By: POLITICO
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The resignation comes after Vanity Fair reported about abusive statements by TJ Ducklo.
Then-White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo listens as press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a briefing at the White House. | AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo has resigned after making threatening and abusive remarks to a POLITICO reporter, the White House announced on Saturday.
"We accepted the resignation of TJ Ducklo after a discussion with him this evening," press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, noting that the "conversation occurred with the support of the White House chief of staff," Ron Klain. "We are committed to striving every day to meet the standard set by the president in treating others with dignity and respect, with civility and with a value for others through our words and our actions," she added.
Ducklo issued his own statement via Twitter, acknowledging the conduct and vowing to "learn from it and do better."
"No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior," Ducklo wrote. "I used language that no woman should ever have to hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job."
Ducklo's resignation came after Vanity Fair reported on Friday about an off-the-record call between Ducklo and Tara Palmeri, a co-author of POLITICO's Playbook newsletter, who was in the process of reporting on Ducklo's relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond.
After the Vanity Fair story was published, Psaki announced that Ducklo had been "placed on a one-week suspension without pay" and that he would no longer be assigned to work with any POLITICO reporters.
Addressing Ducklo's suspension further at a White House briefing Friday afternoon, Psaki said Ducklo is "the first to acknowledge" that his actions do not meet "the standard of behavior set out by the president, nor is it the standard of behavior set out by me. And I'm his direct supervisor."
But Psaki also said that Ducklo's inappropriate remarks toward Palmeri were in the context of "a story related to his personal life."
"I'm not saying that's acceptable, but I just want to be clear that it was not about an issue related to the White House or White House policy, or anything along those lines," she said.
Psaki said she had not discussed the matter with President Joe Biden, and that she had made the decision to suspend Ducklo in consultation with Klain. The punishment, she said, was "a significant step. I'm not aware of a history of that step being taken."
But Psaki struggled to answer questions regarding Ducklo's future professional interactions with female reporters who do not work for POLITICO, and she did not explain why Ducklo was only suspended Friday — not when she first learned of his remarks.
Psaki said White House officials and POLITICO editors had until Friday engaged "in a private manner," and "that was what we felt was appropriate at the time."
"We raised our concerns about the incident directly with the White House at the time," top POLITICO editors Matt Kaminski and Carrie Budoff Brown said in a statement on Friday. "No journalist at POLITICO—or any other publication or network—should ever be subjected to such unfounded personal attacks while doing their job. POLITICO reporters and editors are committed to forging a professional and transparent relationship with public office holders and their staff and expect the same in return."
POLITICO
After the Vanity Fair story was published, Psaki announced that Ducklo had been "placed on a one-week suspension without pay" and that he would no longer be assigned to work with any POLITICO reporters.
Hold on - Joe Biden told us that if his appointees treated someone with disrespect they would be fired:
So, when it happens the offender gets a one week suspension?
Ducklo resigned (or was he asked to resign), so this became a non-story.
This is another example of Biden saying one thing and doing another.
Just like when he took the side of the Teachers Union vs the science from the CDC.
What some repeatedly choose to ignore (including Biden, blue state governors/mayors, and teacher unions) is that the CDC and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) published guidelines for the safe re-opening of schools last summer. Because they've ignored professionals' science, our students are now a YEAR behind in their formal education and have suffered from grave mental/psychological and cognitive issues.
Correct. Jen Psaki poo-pooed CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, when Walensky said that teachers don't need COVID-19 vaccines before returning to classrooms. Psaki claimed Walensky was only speaking in her personal capacity and the administration would wait for CDC guidance. Well Friday the CDC came out and said the exact same thing. This morning on "This Week" his eminence Dr Fauci said the same thing and minutes ago on "Meet the Press" Walensky was asked if she was speaking in her "personal capacity?" She said I speak as the CDC Director.
We shall see how Biden handles that.
Or is he still controlled by the radical Teachers Union?
Correct. Notice we don't hear any of them screaming about "the science" anymore.
Jen Psaki is worthless and pathetic. She either spouts lies or has to "circle back".
It's easy now. Aside from Peter Doocy, nobody asks real questions. They joke and they laugh with her as Biden keeps signing executive orders.
Psaki is 42, but even at age 33, she couldn't answer questions. Here's a 2013 example released by the US State Department when she was 33.
And now in 2021, the press has to give her their questions in advance (just like Joe) so she has time to prepare her answers to the select few she calls upon.
Make no mistake - she has to call on Peter Doocy to make it look like they're being fair , but she needs to work harder to hide her hateful look of snarky disdain that never applies to her lapdog media.
Jen Psaki's ignorance and unpreparedness could never confuse me, Tessy.
Given Psakis history, she'll just edit and delete the records necessary to justify her lies.
No debating or talking over her. What a difference.
Simple curiosity ... just how many squirrels are you going to release daily in the next 2 and the next 4 years?
I guess the count starts with you.
Oh ouch, I've been zinged by an ubiquitous Texas retort ... @!@
As many as I can before the Ministry of Truth comes for me
I find it quite amusing to see how many on the right have dumped Ayn Rand for George Orwell who I assume is soon to be replaced by B. Traven and the question of who is John Galt will be replaced with who is Gerard Gales.
Progressives have brought Orwell's writings to life. It's almost as if they read 1984 and said to themselves what great ideas are in here!
The agonizing part is that they are in power.
Are you sure it's not the antagonizing part?
Enjoy it while it lasts!
I'm sure it's not.
I didn't know that the 2022 midterm elections had been canceled. Thanks for the heads up!
For the umpteenth time, please stop pigeonholing me into a particular political party. Although I am a registered voter, I am not registered with any political party.
Good luck with that Ouija Board prediction.
" ... so this became a non-story."
... and yet all of the major Press reported it, even the world's "fake news" MSM.
That Biden's team is held accountable is refreshing!
Abusivness was rewarded by Trump administration.
Good lord, is there no depth to the level of embarrassment you guys are willing to sink to??
The right is so desperate to attack the Biden administration that they post an article that specifically outlines how the Biden administration is meeting its stated objectives, and then tries in vein to use the minutiae of differences between suspension without pay, resigning, being asked to resign, and being fired to prove otherwise. That is the epitome of desperation. I am truly embarrassed that you all share dna with intelligent humanity.
And out comes the moth.
There are a handful of people on this site that don't know anything, but insist on telling us all about it. It is a drag. This world would be a better place if people who don't know anything would remain quiet until they do.
The Biden Administration did not meet its stated objectives. On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden stated that he would FIRE anyone on his staff who was disrespectful. Watch the CNN video provided in comment 1 .
All Biden did was suspend Ducklo for a week w/o pay. Biden never fired him .
He was immediately dealt with and is now gone.
Psaki said White House officials and POLITICO editors had until Friday engaged "in a private manner," and "that was what we felt was appropriate at the time."
I guess her big mistake was to not immediately contact Texan for appropriate guidance straight from the enemy’s mouth.
And that's the complete opposite of what Biden originally stated would happen to his staff on January 20. He said that they'd be immediately FIRED ... "no ifs, ands, or buts".
OMG! It didn't happen two seconds after the incident. He should have been fired within a ten second time frame of when the incident occurred!
Get real. Seems to me they got together and decided it was better if he resigned...
Amazing to me after four years of lies and bullshit, this is what you all attack Biden for?
OMG ! He didn't fire someone immediately...
Grasping at straws here. Looking for anything, just anything to be able to attack blindly for...
Notice how the right flocks to this incredibly weak argument like flies on shit. It must be a tortured existence to want to attack someone 24/7 and have virtually nothing ever to latch onto.
Notice how the moth omits the meat of the quote, because they are so accustomed to their own empty nothingburgers.
“... and have virtually nothing ever to latch onto.”
This was never, EVER a problem the last four years.
Says the guy who routinely jumps into every conversation that he is not a part of, to protest.
Tell us all bout it.
No surprise that I need to spell this out to you. You see when nobody is talking to you, entering their conversation uninvited and without even having a point to make is much different than simply posting a comment with substance to a forum.
Hmph. Do raisins have gender?
Is the hat in your avatar supposed to be a clue?
I have not been here long enough to bookmark anyone for their missives. Be thankful.
Have you no shame?
The response to threatening a reporter was a one week suspension after initially ignoring it and giving him a free pass.
So he admitted he was wrong, apologized and resigned.
So what's the problem?