Knives Out for Klain? Puck’s Tara Palmeri Dishes on White House Drama in Debut Column
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Former Politico national correspondent Tara Palmeri premiered her new column at Puck this week after parting ways with her previous employer and dished plenty of the sort of juicy info she’s known for.
The column, called The Washington Mall, is an inside look at the happenings of Washington D.C. and, specifically, the White House. Palmeri had plenty of drama to report, the most interesting of which appeared directed at White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
Despite his position in President Joe Biden’s administration, Klain has become “irrelevant on Capitol Hill.” The main reason? According to Palmeri, it’s a lack of talent in the flattery department.
“Klain deserves immense credit for passing the Covid relief bill, the infrastructure bill, and generally restoring order to the White House, but he has become irrelevant on Capitol Hill, largely because he’s still despised by the man who can decide what bills actually pass, Joe Manchin,” she wrote. “And that’s surprising, to me at least, because Manchin is one of the easiest men to win over with some flattery.”
Klain has been a loyal messenger for Biden’s administration, often drawing the ire of critics as he spins for the White House, even defending the economy amidst record inflation. The president’s loyalty to Klain, according to Palmeri, may have become his “biggest political weakness.”
In another part of her column, Palmeri detailed the drama of numerous White House officials vying for Jen Psaki’s role as press secretary as she transitions to her new gig at MSNBC.
Karine Jean-Pierre is taking on the position, but White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield had fought for it, according to the column, though she’d never admit such a thing, Palmeri claimed.
“She, of course, would deny this sort of quiet ambition, and has claimed that she disliked the command performance of the daily briefing,” Palmeri wrote.
There’s much more in the column featuring Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and a clever “two male dogs in a room and one bowl of food” that features Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and the former president.
Read the full column here (subscription required and recommended!)
