Female Reporter Threatened, White House Deputy Spokesperson Resigns 'Behind the Scenes' [Correspondent Diary]

Reporter verbally abuses female journalist attempting to report dating news
White House imposes one-week suspension, a lenient punishment attempt
"Immediate dismissal if problems arise" Biden's promise broken, criticism pours in
Ends with voluntary resignation
Damage to White House press office credibility

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The White House press team, which boasted about President Joe Biden's extensive hiring of women, has been engulfed in controversy. The chaos that plagued the White House during former President Donald Trump's administration seems to have been replicated under Biden's White House.

In particular, criticism is growing over the White House spokesperson and chief of staff's conduct, who tried to downplay the issue with a slap-on-the-wrist punishment, contrary to President Biden's policy. The 'West Wing,' where the White House staff works, has left only painful results that have not changed much even after the regime change.

On the 13th (local time), TJ Ducklo, the White House Deputy Press Secretary, abruptly announced his resignation. He stepped down from a position that anyone would desire just over a month after taking office.

While the resignation itself was a topic of discussion, the process leading to it was even more problematic.

The trigger was an article published by People magazine on the 9th, ahead of Valentine's Day, reporting that Deputy Press Secretary Ducklo had become romantically involved with a reporter from the online media Axios.

The article stated that Ducklo, who was in charge of publicity at the Biden campaign last year, became romantically involved with a reporter who also had access to the campaign.

People reported that despite being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019, Ducklo participated in Biden's election campaign and even found a romantic partner.

According to the article, the Axios reporter informed their company that they had become romantically involved with the campaign contact person and was reassigned to cover Vice President Kamala Harris instead of then-candidate Biden to avoid conflicts. Notably, the Axios reporter emphasized that after the relationship began, Ducklo did not share any information.

This was essentially an explanation addressing concerns about potential conflicts of interest arising from a romantic relationship between a reporter covering the president-elect's campaign and a public relations officer.

Following this report, another online media outlet, Politico, reacted strongly. Politico stated that after Ducklo was appointed Deputy Press Secretary at the end of January, they completed their investigation into this 'open secret' and requested fact-checking from Ducklo just before publishing their report.

Politico's grievance was that a senior White House official ignored their inquiries and leaked information to another outlet, attempting to spin the story into a feel-good piece. People did not disclose how their article was investigated.

Politico said that when Ducklo and the White House did not respond, they notified that their article would be published on the 8th, but instead, they had to watch another outlet exclusively publish a piece that glorified the relationship shortly afterward.

At this point, one might think it could be understandable, but then the 'season 2' of this soap opera began.

This time, it was revealed by entertainment media Vanity Fair that Deputy Press Secretary Ducklo threatened the Politico reporter to prevent the article from being published.

According to the report, Ducklo made violent and misogynistic remarks during a phone call with the Politico reporter, saying things like "I will destroy you."

This completely tarnished the highly praised situation where President Biden had formed a White House press team composed entirely of women before his inauguration.

Ultimately, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had to announce during a regular briefing on the 12th that Ducklo was suspended without pay for one week due to threatening a reporter. Psaki explained that Ducklo threatened a Politico reporter who had reported on his personal life.

Psaki added that White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain approved the disciplinary action and that President Joe Biden was not consulted.

Psaki said, "Ducklo apologized to the reporter and sent a personal apology letter expressing deep regret," and added, "The one-week suspension is a message that such behavior is unacceptable."

The White House press office's action further intensified the outrage among White House correspondents, as the press team failed to uphold the president's promise made on his first day in office.

President Biden strongly warned White House staff on his first day, saying, "This is no joke. Anyone who behaves inappropriately toward colleagues will be immediately dismissed."

When asked why Ducklo was not dismissed, Psaki could not provide a satisfactory answer. Instead, she said, "While it does not meet the president's standards, we believe sufficient action has been taken, including unpaid suspension and an apology."

Psaki also explained the background of this decision on her Twitter but failed to gain consensus. Conservative media as well as progressive outlets like The Washington Post published columns and critical articles questioning the White House's response.

The 'season 3' of this soap opera ultimately ended with Ducklo's resignation. He announced his resignation on Twitter a day after Psaki's announcement of his one-week suspension.

He stated that no excuses mattered and that he decided to resign after discussions with the White House press team.

This incident is widely regarded as a significant blow to the White House spokesperson's office. The consensus is that what could have been handled swiftly and decisively was mishandled due to protecting their own.

A White House correspondent claimed that Ducklo's 'offense' was worse than that of former White House Press Secretary Anthony Scaramucci, who resigned after ten days amid controversy over his crude remarks during the Trump administration.

The fact that this incident occurred just before Presidents Day on the 15th left an even deeper scar on the White House's conduct.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.