White House press secretary T.J. Ducklo resigned, the day after he was suspended for issuing a sexist and rude statement to a journalist seeking to cover up his relationship with another reporter.
Ducklo was put on a weeklong suspension without pay on Friday after he told her, “I will destroy you.” The journalist had been seeking to report on his relationship with a political reporter at Axios.
Ducklo drew criticism in light of President Biden’s pledge to quickly fire those in his administration if they were disrespectful of others.
“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 actions,” Psaki stated.
Ducklo apologized in a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday after the White House announced his departure.
“No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior. I 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. It was language that was abhorrent, disrespectful and unacceptable,” he wrote.
During a virtual swearing-in for staff on Inauguration Day, President Biden said that “if you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I will fire you on the spot.”
“No ifs, ands or buts,” Biden added.
Sources: ABC, Washington Post, The Hill, and Newsmax; Photo: timesnewsexpress.com
