Psaki Tells Reporters She’s Gotten Death Threats, ‘People Threatening To Come To My House’
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed to an audience of journalists that she has gotten multiple death threats and other attempts at intimidation — including Republicans circulating her home address.
On Thursday morning, Psaki gave something of an exit interview to reporters at a Christian Science Monitor Breakfast on her penultimate day on the job. Among the many questions was a provocative one from moderator Linda Feldman, who followed up Psaki’s lengthy answer about the challenges of the job by asking “Have you had any death threats?”
Psaki replied that she has, and said that not only has she had people “threatening to come to my house,” but the local Republican Party has been circulating her home address:
JEN PSAKI: (I)n these public jobs, for if you’re elected official sometimes, frankly, when you’re a reporter nowadays, certainly when you’re in my job, people are going to have venom towards you. And I think my approach to date has been to try to block that out, and to stiffen my spine, and keep my feet planted on the ground and try to be unwavering on what my actual job is. But it is not easy always, especially when it relates to, like, threats against your kids.
LINDA FELDMAN: Have you had any death threats?
JEN PSAKI: Oh, sure. Yes, I’ve had threats. People coming to my house, people… Not coming to my house, but people threatening to come to my house. Letters, texts. And I don’,t I’m not saying I’m the first. This is common. And that is what should be alarming to people. But it is a real part of this. And it is a sign of the venom that we see out there in society.
LINDA FELDMAN: I mean, stuff that was actionable, so Secret Service would have to look into it, or…?
JEN PSAKI: I, you know, there have been cases where I’ve had to share information with them,, and I certainly have shared information with them.
But it will, what I will also say, because I think this is very important, you know, an important part of our discourse. You know, it is part of my job, as I did yesterday and will do again today, to go out there and be critical of Senator Scott’s tax plan. Right? Raise taxes on 75 million Americans. Do I have personal venom against Senator Scott? I do not. Right?
And I have had, before this job, between jobs, I was a CNN commentator. I sat on, I sat next to Rick Santorum. Who I vehemently disagree with about basically everything. But you know what? I didn’t treat him with disrespect in person. He did not treat me with disrespect in person.
There are people like David Urban and Tony Sayegh who worked in the Trump administration. Again, vehemently disagree. Would they be outside of my house threatening my children? They would not be, and I would not be there either. And I think this is just an important conversation to have because officials and elected people, and people in public life, should not feel that.
LINDA FELDMAN: But you haven’t had people outside of your house, literally?
JEN PSAKI: Not yet. There is a circulation of my address among the Arlington Republican Party right now. So there you go.
Watch above via C-Span.
