“I Will Destroy You” – Biden Deputy Press Secretary Threatens Politico Reporter For Pursuing Story He Wanted Kept Private

TJ Ducklo

Joe Biden’s Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo threatened a Politico reporter for pursuing a story about his romantic relationship with an Axios reporter.

People Magazine recently ran a sympathetic article revealing that Ducklo is dating Axios reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the 2020 Biden campaign.

The romantic relationship between Ducklo and McCammond raised ethics concerns since she covers the Biden Administration.

“Alexi disclosed her relationship with TJ to her editors in November and asked to be taken off of the Biden beat. We reassigned her to cover progressives in Congress, the progressive movement, and Vice President Kamala Harris. Alexi is a valued member of the Axios team, and we stand behind her and her coverage,” an Axios spokesperson told Fox News.

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Ducklo became angry when he found out that Politico reporter Jennifer Palmieri was pursuing the story and he threatened to “destroy” her and “ruin her reputation” in a series of phone calls.

TJ Ducklo made vulgar and misogynistic comments to Palmieri and accused her of being “jealous” of his relationship with McCammond.

Vanity Fair reported (emphasis our own):

[Behind] the scenes, Ducklo had previously lashed out at Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, who was reporting the story, exhibiting behavior that led to tense meetings between the Washington news outlet’s editors and senior White House officials.

The confrontation began on Inauguration Day, January 20, after Palmeri, a coauthor of Politico’s Playbook, contacted McCammond for comment while one of her male colleagues left a message for Ducklo, according to sources. Ducklo subsequently called a Playbook editor to object to the story, but was told to call the Playbook reporters with his concerns. But instead of calling the male reporter who initially contacted him, Ducklo tried to intimidate Palmeri by phone in an effort to kill the story. “I will destroy you,” Ducklo told her, according to sources, adding that he would ruin her reputation if she published it.

During the off-the-record call, Ducklo made derogatory and misogynistic comments, accusing Palmeri of only reporting on his relationship—which, due to the ethics questions that factor into the relationship between a journalist and White House official, falls under the purview of her reporting beat—because she was “jealous” that an unidentified man in the past had “wanted to fuck” McCammond “and not you.” Ducklo also accused Palmeri of being “jealous” of his relationship with McCammond. (Palmeri had no prior relationship or communication with McCammond before calling her to report on the Playbook item, which was a story that she was assigned and had not independently pursued.)

Remember when Joe Biden “promised” to fire anyone working for him who disrespected another colleague?

“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise I will fire you on the spot,” Biden said on January 20.

Why is Joe Biden tolerating this behavior by one of his top communications officials?

WATCH:

Biden swears in his political appointees and issues a warning:

“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise I will fire you on the spot.” pic.twitter.com/6ydnUXQf0d

— The Recount (@therecount) January 20, 2021

Update: TJ Ducklo has been placed on a one-week suspension without pay and will no longer be assigned to work with any reporters at Politico.

So much for Joe’s promise to “fire people on the spot” for disrespecting others.

—@PressSec adds that when @tducklo46 returns, he will “no longer be assigned to work with any reporters at Politico.”

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) February 12, 2021

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