Jen Psaki’s Answer About ‘Yass Kween Aspect’ of Her Job Gets Dark With Chilling Details on Threats and Harassment

Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed chilling details of threats and harassment while answering a question that started out innocently enough: probing the “Yass Kween!” aspect of her job.

On Wednesday, Psaki participated in a forum at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago entitled “Notes from the Frying Pan to the Fire.”

IOP Speaker Series director Jennifer Steinhauer moderated the discussion, which included a wide range of topics, as well as a Q&A session.

One revealing moment was when Steinhauer asked Psaki about the celebrity and the fandom that accompanied her tenure. Psaki veered off into some dark territory, and revealed disturbing new details of the threats and harassment that she has spoken about before:

JENNIFER STEINHAUER: Something that came up on the stage here recently was this notion that we don’t really have kind of these high profile political operatives anymore, like Karl Rove, like David Axelrod. Kellyanne. Kellyanne Conway, I would say in that category, kind of in the spotlight. And so in this dynamic that you’re describing, you’ve sort of kind of in some ways became the personification of the administration. And that’s, whether it was kind of like the “Yass Kween!” aspect of it or, you know, all the other things we just described. Did that feel weird for you? Do you feel like that’s part of this culture shift? What was that like for you personally?

JEN PSAKI: For me personally. So because of COVID, and you know, I did not go out anywhere for I mean, a long time, as I’m sure it’s true for many people in here. And when I started this job, I don’t think I left the White House for the first two or three months. Actually, I remember the first time I tried to leave the White House, and I had worked there before, but I couldn’t figure out how to wave the badge to get out of the gate. And it was like shaking the gate and trying to get out to get a cup of coffee. But my point is, I, the briefing room is very small. And so when you are just doing that every day and you’re doing your job and you’re trying to do your job, you’re pretty closed off from kind of the external stuff, aside from Twitter. And I won’t focus on that.

And the first time that I was out in public and anyone recognized me for good, I had somebody who followed me around and was yelling shame at me at a baseball game. And my husband was very distressed by this. I was not. And then I also had people who wanted to take pictures. And it was very jarring because I had just been doing my job and had not been tracking that anyone would ever possibly know who I was. So that was jarring.

What has been the most difficult is that there are a lot of people out there who are vitriolic and I have had a lot of threats against me, against my family, names of my kids texted to me with my home address, things that are very scary. And that is when it starts to get. I don’t know. Was that the case ten, 15, 20 years ago? I’m not sure. But it is an aspect of today that is a little scarier.

And truth is, I can go out there. I mean, last week I was in this job five or six days ago. And, you know, I had a lot to say about Senator Rick Scott’s tax plan. Right? I don’t wish him ill. Right? I don’t wish violence against him or his family. I wish I wish him fine. I wish him well. You know, I just disagree with his tax plan. And we’re now at a point in time where it is frightening the level of vitriol out there and as a weirdly, a semipublic-ish person. That is something that has been a part I didn’t anticipate.

JENNIFER STEINHAUER: I think I read that you said that you even had to involve the Secret Service sometimes.

JEN PSAKI: I’ve had to report a number of things to them over the course of time. Yes. Because you don’t know what’s what’s accurate and what’s not accurate. And you, I have like no risk aversion. But my husband, who was fortunately has a higher level than I do. It becomes alarming when your kids’ names are out there, and your home address is out there, and you’re getting threatening mail to your house. You do have to be proactive about it.

Watch above via the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.