Deputy White House press secretary Ducklo resigns after threats from reporter.

Ducklo has stepped down from his position as Deputy White House press secretary after brief controversy over the appropriate sentence after threatening a reporter. Ducklo was initially suspended for a week without pay on Friday after Vanity Fair came out with a story revealing that he had threatened Politico’s Tara Palmeri. The move sparked backlash as some said the punishment was not strong enough, especially considering President Joe Biden had sworn that anyone on his team would be fired that disdain. (Dan Kois from Slate wrote a piece on Friday with the headline: “Just Fire TJ Ducklo!”

Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Saturday night that Ducklo had resigned. “We have accepted TJ Ducklo’s resignation after talking to him tonight,” Psaki said in a statement. “We are committed to striving every day to live up to the standard set by the President in treating others with dignity and respect, courtesy and value to others through our words and actions. ” Ducklo also issued a statement“There are no words to express my regret, embarrassment, and disgust for my behavior. I used language that no woman should ever hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job. It was language that was repugnant, disrespectful and unacceptable, ”he said. Ducklo went on to say that he is determined to “regain the trust of everyone I have abandoned because of my excruciating actions.”

The resignation came a day after Vanity Fair reported that Ducklo had made “derogatory and misogynistic comments” against Palmeri in an off-the-record appeal when she reported a story about his relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond. Ducklo said, among other things, that Palmeri was ‘jealous’ of their relationship and added that she was jealous that an unknown man wanted to ‘fuck’ McCammond and not you. He also warned he would ruin her reputation if she continued with the story. “I will destroy you,” he reportedly said. People posted a sympathetic profile of their relationship on Monday.

When she announced the suspension, Psaki said Ducklo’s behavior was “completely unacceptable,” but she did her best to emphasize that he was responding to a story about his personal life. “I’m not saying that’s acceptable, but I just want to be clear that it wasn’t about an issue related to White House or White House policy or anything like that,” she said. However, some said the suspension was inconsistent with the standard Biden set early in his administration. “I’m not kidding when I say this,” Biden told workers on his first day at work. ‘If you ever work with me and I hear that you are disrespectful to another colleague, talk to someone, I promise I’ll fire you on the spot – on the spot. No If, and or but. Everyone – everyone – is entitled to decent and dignified treatment. “