White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo was suspended for a week after harassing and threatening a Politico journalist who was chasing a story about his romantic involvement with another reporter.
Vanity Fair reported that Ducklo responded angrily during an unofficial call to Politico’s Tara Palmeri when she was reporting on her relationship with Alexi McCammond, an Axios reporter who met Ducklo while covering Biden’s campaign.
“I will destroy you,” Ducklo told Palmeri on the call, during which he also made misogynistic comments and suggested that she was “jealous” because an unidentified man was interested in McCammond and not in her.
“TJ Ducklo apologized to the reporter, with whom he had a heated conversation about his personal life. He is the first to recognize that this is not the pattern of behavior set by the president,” said the White House press secretary. Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiOvernight Health Care: Biden says the US will have enough doses to vaccinate all Americans by July | Fauci believes that widespread vaccine distribution may be available in April | The long-awaited CDC guidelines on reopening schools arriving tomorrow Hillicon Valley: Chip order entry | Biden asks for more time on WeChat | New IoT project introduced Senators pressure Treasury to prioritize Tubman redesign MORE said in a statement after the publication of the Vanity Fair report.
“In addition to his initial apology, he sent the reporter a personal note expressing his deepest regret. With the approval of the White House Chief of Staff, he was put on a week-long unpaid suspension,” she added. “Furthermore, when he returns, he will no longer be assigned to work with any reporter at Politico.”
News of Ducklo’s relationship with McCammond was made public over the weekend in an article in People Magazine. The two met during the campaign, and McCammond has since stopped covering the Biden White House to avoid a conflict of interest, the article said.
Politico reported in the Playbook earlier in the week that the publication had contacted the White House about the story weeks before People’s publication.
The Vanity Fair story published on Friday provided new details about the process, however. The media reported that Ducklo tried to intimidate Palmeri into trying to kill the story.
When a Politico editor contacted the White House about the comments, Psaki, director of communications for the White House Kate Bedingfield
Kate Bedingfield, the editorial board of the New York Times, overturns the use of Biden’s executive actions. White House advisers back off with the idea of splitting the aid package. White House Communications Director: ‘Biden won’t be breaking news at 1 am on Twitter’ MORE and senior consultant Anita Dunn acknowledged that Ducklo had acted inappropriately, but questioned why Palmeri had revealed the contents of an unofficial call.
Ducklo’s behavior attracted particular scrutiny due to comments President biden
Joe BidenWashington Post economics reporter: The Federal Reserve counters arguments that Biden’s COVID-19 plan is too big. Advocate of marijuana legalization: ‘This could be a priority for Congress’ Blinken, UN chief shares first call after the US returns to Climate Agreements, WHO MORE done on their first day in office, alerting employees and nominees that they should treat others with respect.
“I’m not kidding when I say this: If you’re working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect or speak ill of someone, I promise I’ll fire you on the spot – on the spot. No ifs es or buts,” said Biden during a virtual oath ceremony on the day of inauguration.
“Everyone has the right to be treated with decency and dignity,” he said. “This has been missing a lot in the past four years.”