TJ Ducklo, a deputy press secretary at the White House, resigned from office on Saturday amid controversy over the threats he made to a Politico reporter.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiWhite House Says It’s Not Looking For COVID-19 Domestic Flight Tests Cuomo Gets More Critical Of Deaths In COVID-19 Nursing Homes Strong Words But Weak Response When A Biden Assistant Breaks The Rules MORE said in a statement Saturday night that the White House accepted Ducklo’s resignation after speaking with him. Ducklo was banned on Friday after Vanity Fair reported that earlier this week he threatened a Politico reporter with a story she was pursuing about his relationship.
“We have accepted the resignation of TJ Ducklo after talking to him tonight. This conversation took place with the support of the White House Chief of Staff, ”said Psaki. “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 said in a statement via his Twitter account that he regretted his behavior, calling the language he used “ disgusting, disrespectful and unacceptable. ”
“I am devastated that I have embarrassed and disappointed my colleagues in the White House President Biden
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‘I know this was awful. I know I can’t take it back. But I also know that I can learn from it and do it better. This incident is not representative of who I am as a person and I will be determined to regain the trust of everyone I have abandoned because of my unbearable actions, ”he continued.
The White House had defended its decision to suspend Ducklo for a week without pay on Friday, but the move raised questions, given Biden’s warning to staffers on his first day that he would fire anyone who disrespected a colleague.
“In our opinion, this was an important step to convey the message that we do not find this acceptable,” Psaki had told White House reporters Friday afternoon during a briefing.
According to Vanity Fair, Ducklo Politico reporter Tara Palmeri warned in an off-the-record conversation that he would “destroy her” if she published a story about his relationship with a reporter for Axios, Alexi McCammond. Ducklo also reportedly made misogynistic comments, accusing Palmeri of being “jealous” of their relationship.
The relationship was revealed in a favorable profile by People magazine earlier this week. McCammond covered the Biden campaign, but Axios said she was taken off the beat in November after revealing her relationship with Ducklo.
Psaki said Friday that Ducklo apologized to Palmeri after the conversation. She also said that Biden had not been consulted in the decision to suspend Ducklo, but that chief of staff Ron Klain
Ron KlainSanders says Biden sees progressives as “a strong part of his coalition.” Nocturnal Healthcare: New COVID-19 Cases Fall Below 100K Nationally for First Time in 2021 | CDC Warns States to Lift Restrictions Over Threat of Virus Variants | Health Officials Warn COVID-19 Extermination Unlikely House Democrats Refresh Investigation Into Trump Administration Pandemic Response MORE consulted in the decision.