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Patrick Semansky / AP
White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo has resigned after threatening a journalist.
White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo resigned the day after being suspended for issuing a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter.
Ducklo had been suspended without pay for a week on Friday (local time) after a report emerged in Vanity fair summarizing his sexist threats against a woman Political journalist to try to suppress a story about their relationship, saying “I will destroy you.” The journalist had been seeking to report on his relationship with a political reporter in Axios who had previously covered the campaign and the Biden transition.
In a statement Saturday, Ducklo said he was “devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White House colleagues and President Biden.”
“There are no words that can express my regret, my shame and my disgust for my behavior,” he said. “I used language that no woman should have to hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job. It was hateful, disrespectful and unacceptable language. “
Before Political broke history on Tuesday, People The magazine published a glowing profile of the relationship. It was the first time either of them had publicly acknowledged that they were dating.
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It’s the new administration’s first departure, less than a month after President Joe Biden’s term, and it comes as the White House faced criticism for failing to meet the standards set by Biden himself in his decision to retain Ducklo.
During a virtual swearing-in for staff on inauguration day, Biden said that “if you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, speak to someone, I will fire you on the spot.”
“There are no buts, what if,” added Biden.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki faced a series of questions about the controversy on Friday, with reporters highlighting Biden’s comments and questioning the decision to simply suspend Ducklo for a week.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
US President Joe Biden had previously told staff that he would fire them if he ever heard them “treat another colleague with disrespect” or “speak ill of someone.”
Faced with those comments from the president, Psaki said Friday that Ducklo’s conduct “does not meet our standards, it does not meet the president’s standard, and it was important that we take a step to make that clear.”
He pointed to the apologies made by leading members of the White House communications team and Ducklo himself to the Politico reporter as broad measures that reflect the seriousness of the situation.
On Saturday, Psaki said in a statement that Ducklo’s decision came with the support of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, adding that “we are committed to striving every day to meet the standard set by the President of Treat others with dignity and respect. , with courtesy and courage to others through our words and our actions ”.
