BREAKING: TJ Ducklo Resigns from White House Comms Team After Reporter Harassment Controversy

Sarah RumpfFeb 13th, 2021, 7:17 pm
 

White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo has resigned after his controversial harassment of a Politico reporter came to light.

Politico reporter Tara Palmeri was investigating Ducklo’s new relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond. On a phone call, Ducklo reportedly threatened to “destroy” Palmeri and used other explicit and misogynistic comments.

Ducklo was originally subject to a one-week suspension without pay, a penalty that many in the White House Press Corps criticized for being too lenient, and in conflict with President Joe Biden’s own promise to immediately fire any staffer who failed to treat their colleagues with respect. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Ducklo’s boss, was confronted by reporters about the scandal at a press briefing on Friday.

Ducklo announced his resignation on his Twitter account Saturday evening.

“No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior,” wrote Ducklo, admitting to having used “language that no woman should ever have to hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job.” He added that his words had been “abhorrent, disrespectful, and unacceptable.”

He was “devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White House colleagues and President Biden,” and wrote that he had made the decision to resign after a discussion with White House communications leadership earlier Saturday.

“I know this was terrible,” Ducklo concluded. “I know I can’t take it back. But I also know I can learn from it and do better. This incident is not representative of who I am as a person, and I will be determined to earn back the trust of everyone I have let down because of my intolerable actions.”

Ducklo is currently in his one-week period of administrative leave and will not be returning afterwards.

Psaki released her own statement regarding Ducklo’s resignation, writing that they had accepted his resignation after meeting with him and the White House Chief of Staff earlier in the day. “We are committed to striving every day to meet the standard set by the President in treating others with dignity and respect, with civility and with a value for others through our words and our actions.”

This is a breaking story and has been updated.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.