The White House on Friday suspended a press release that allegedly threatened to “destroy” a reporter working on a story about his relationship with another journalist.
Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo was suspended for one week, without pay, after Vanity Fair reported that he had told Tara Palmeri of Politico that he would “destroy” her because of her relationship with Alexios McCammond, Axios’ reporter. , wrote.
Vanity Fair reported on Friday that in a conversation with Palmeri, who had previously treated the White House as a correspondent for ABC News, Ducklo “made derogatory and misogynistic comments” and accused, among other things, that she was “jealous” of his relationship. “I will destroy you,” he told Palmeri, according to the magazine, which quoted anonymous sources.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Ducklo’s suspension on Friday after the piece Vanity Fair was published, calling Ducklo’s behavior ‘completely unacceptable’.
During a Friday news conference, Psaki did not dispute any of the allegations reported by the magazine, nor when ABC News asked for it. She told reporters that White House ministry director Kate Bedingfield apologized to a Politico editor “immediately after the conversation between Ducklo and Palmeri.
Palmeri declined to comment. Politico editor – in – chief Matt Kaminski and editor Carrie Budoff Brown said in a statement that they “at the time expressed our concern about the incident directly with the White House.”
“No journalist at Politico – or any other publication or network – may ever be subjected to such unfounded personal attacks,” they said. “Reporters and editors of Politico are committed to and expect a professional and transparent relationship with public office bearers and their staff.”
Politico wrote Tuesday morning about Ducklo dating McCammond and how her employer, Axios, handled the ethically thorny relationship.
The piece follows a flattering article about the relationship that was published by People the night before with the headline “Reporter Forgoes Covering President as Romance Blossoms with Biden Aide Battling Cancer.” Ducklo received treatment for lung cancer, and several of his colleagues in the White House shared the story on Twitter.
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden set a high standard for his employees when he swore them in.
“I’m not kidding when I say that,” Biden said. “If you ever work with me and I hear how you treat another colleague with respect, then talk to someone, I promise you that I will fire you on the spot – on the spot. No aspects, and or not. Everyone – everyone is entitled to be treated properly and with dignity. ‘
Psaki told reporters that she had made the decision to punish Ducklo – with the approval of Ron Klain, chief of staff of the White House, and that she had not discussed it with Biden. She calls it an ‘important step’ and says: ‘I take it very seriously.’
Dslo, whose duties include inquiries from reporters on COVID-19, health care and politics, apologized to Palmeri ‘shortly after the comments were made’ and in writing again, ‘Psaki said. again with Politico reporters.
“He had a heated conversation about a story related to his personal life,” Psaki said. “I’m not saying it’s acceptable, but I just want to make it clear that this is not about an issue related to the White House or a White House policy, or anything in line. He’s the first to admit that the standard of conduct set by the president, and the standard of conduct is not set by me, and I am his direct supervisor. ‘
A reporter pointed out to Psaki that the White House had known about the interaction for weeks, but only suspended Ducklo after Vanity Fair reported on it. She said the reporter was ‘right’, but noted that the White House believed it was ‘appropriate’ at the time to enter into a private conversation with Politico ‘immediately after the conversation took place.’
Asked how the weekly suspension was linked to Biden’s day-one threat, Psaki would simply say Ducklo’s behavior “does not meet the president’s standard.”
“It was important that we took a step to make it clear,” she said. “And that included not only an apology directly from him, and an apology directly from us at the highest levels there, but also a step to suspend him for one week without pay. And that was an important step in our opinion. for the message that we do not find it acceptable. ‘