“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot, on the spot. No if, ands, or buts. Everybody — everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity,” President Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1360275474820300800">announced</a> just a few weeks ago.
Turns out, that promise was worthless.
On Friday, the White House announced that it was only <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-suspends-deputy-press-secretary-for-allegedly-sexually-harassing-threatening-reporter">suspending</a> Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo “after a report surfaced alleging that he sexually harassed and threatened a female reporter who was getting ready to publish a report revealing that he was dating a reporter who had previously been tasked with covering Democrat Joe Biden.”
On Saturday, Ducklo submitted his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tj-ducklo-resigns-as-white-house-deputy-press-secretary?%3Futm_source=twitter">resignation</a>, saying in a statement, “No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior. I used language that no women 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.”
During an off-the-record call between Politico reporter Tara Palmeri and Ducklo, which occurred after Palmeri contacted Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond for comment, “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 f***’ McCammond ‘and not you.’” 
“Ducklo also accused Palmeri of being ‘jealous’ of his relationship with McCammond,” the report from <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/02/i-will-destroy-you-biden-aide-threatened-a-politico-reporter-pursuing-a-story-on-his-relationship">Vanity Fair</a> added.
In initial response to the reports, White House press secretary Jen Psaki wrote that Ducklo had apologized, that the conversation was “heated,” and that Ducklo “is the first to acknowledge this is not the standard of behavior set out by the President.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
TJ Ducklo has apologized to the reporter, with whom he had a heated conversation about his personal life. He is the first to acknowledge this is not the standard of behavior set out by the President.
&mdash; Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1360284947785936899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
With the approval of the White House Chief of Staff, he has been placed on a one-week suspension without pay. In addition, when he returns, he will no longer be assigned to work with any reporters at Politico.
&mdash; Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1360284954165448711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Announcing Ducklo’s resignation, Psaki repeated that “We are committed to striving every day to set the standard set by the president in treating others with dignity and respect,” despite reportedly knowing about Ducklo’s alleged actions on January 21.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Psaki, along with senior aide Anita Dunn, was made aware of Ducklo’s sexist tirade on Jan. 21. Only after the Vanity Fair story on Feb 12 did Psaki/the administration act because they had to. Without the VF story, nothing happens here. This accountably statement is laughable.
&mdash; Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1360745295248842752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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If Biden’s promises of swift action in defense of dignity meant anything, Ducklo would have been immediately terminated long before his suspension or resignation. Given that Psaki indicated that Ducklo had acknowledged the accuracy of the reports, even apologizing to the reporter, by Biden’s own “standards,” it is clear that he should have been fired “on the spot.”
Unfortunately, we don’t live in such an ideal world. We live in a world where accusations of sexual harassment are inconsistently condemned or dismissed based on the political affiliation of the reportedly guilty party. Ducklo is a Democrat, and so after ignoring the accusations for weeks, his subsequent punishment was a short vacation. If Ducklo was the Deputy Secretary to, say, Kayleigh McEnany, the Democrats would have demanded something quite different.
Given that Ducklo’s reported actions fell into the category of Biden’s “ifs, ands, or buts,” we have evidence of something that the pessimistic and cynical among us already knew: Biden’s promises are empty and meaningless.
Isn’t life easy when you’re a Democrat?
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">@ighaworth</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Biden Should Have Fulfilled His Promise And Fired Ducklo ‘On The Spot’ After He Reportedly Sexually Harassed Reporter

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TJ Ducklo submitted his resignation as White House deputy press secretary Saturday amid allegations that he sexually harassed and threatened a female reporter.
&#8220;No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior,&#8221; Ducklo began in a statement. &#8220;I used language that no women 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.&#8221;
&#8220;I am devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White House colleagues and President Biden, and after a discussion with White House communications leadership tonight, I resigned my position and will not be returning from administrative leave,&#8221; Ducklo continued.
&#8220;I know this was terrible. I know I can&#8217;t take it back. But I also know I can learn from it and do better. This incident is not representative of who I am as a person, and I will be determined to earn back the trust of everyone I have let down because of my intolerable actions,&#8221; Ducklo concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My statement on resigning from the White House. <a href="https://t.co/3Jpiiv75vB">pic.twitter.com/3Jpiiv75vB</a>
&mdash; TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) <a href="https://twitter.com/TDucklo/status/1360741646627913728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Ducklo&#8217;s resignation comes a day after he was suspended following a Vanity Fair story about Ducklo&#8217;s alleged sexist, profane tirade against a female Politico reporter, in which he reportedly threatened to &#8220;destroy&#8221; her if she published a story about his relationship with another reporter.
As Vanity Fair <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/02/i-will-destroy-you-biden-aide-threatened-a-politico-reporter-pursuing-a-story-on-his-relationship" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>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 the 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 the 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 [f***]” McCammond “and not you.” Ducklo also accused Palmeri of being “jealous” of his relationship with McCammond.</blockquote>
Vanity Fair also claimed that multiple senior-level White House officials acknowledged at the time that Ducklo&#8217;s behavior was &#8220;inappropriate,&#8221; though he was not suspended until the story dropped on Feb. 12.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also issued a statement on Saturday, explaining that she accepted Ducklo&#8217;s resignation after a discussion with him. &#8220;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 our actions,&#8221; Psaki said in part.
Joe Concha, a media reporter for The Hill, derided Psaki&#8217;s statement, tweeting, &#8220;Psaki, along with senior aide Anita Dunn, was made aware of Ducklo’s sexist tirade on Jan. 21. Only after the Vanity Fair story on Feb 12 did Psaki/the administration act because they had to. Without the VF story, nothing happens here. This accountably statement is laughable.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Psaki, along with senior aide Anita Dunn, was made aware of Ducklo’s sexist tirade on Jan. 21. Only after the Vanity Fair story on Feb 12 did Psaki/the administration act because they had to. Without the VF story, nothing happens here. This accountably statement is laughable.
&mdash; Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1360745295248842752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michelle-obama-blames-her-low-grade-depression-partly-on-hypocrisy-of-trump-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Michelle Obama Blames Her ‘Low-Grade Depression’ Partly On ‘Hypocrisy’ Of Trump Administration</a>

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TJ Ducklo Resigns As White House Deputy Press Secretary

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On Thursday night, after TJ Ducklo, national press secretary for the Biden campaign, had been interviewed by Fox News anchor Brett Baier, who provided the opportunity for Ducklo to rant imperiously and display his refusal to answer certain basic questions Baier fired at him, former Interim National Security Advisor Ric Grenell suggested that Ducklo be given full access to appear on TV, tweeting, “Keep @TDucklo on TV! He’s our best spokesman.”
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1304254030538059778
The interview started with Baier querying, “I want to start with what the former vice-president specifically would have done at the end of January had he received the briefing that we know now the president received January 28.”
Ducklo began his odyssey into deflection and avoidance by replying:
<blockquote>Sure. We know here we are in the United States of America; we are 4% of the world’s population. We are 20% of the COVID cases. We are 25% of the COVID deaths. We now know from Bob Woodward’s reporting, as you just covered, that this president knowingly and willfully lied about the dangerousness of the threat that faced this country. We know from Columbia University, had this president taken action just a few weeks earlier, we would have tens of thousands of lives that would have been saved. You know, while the president was out there calling it a hoax, while he was saying the virus would magically disappear, he knew. He knew Brett, how dangerous the threat that we are facing was. Joe Biden, from the very beginning, in March has put out very clear plans about what he would do to get our country where we need to be.</blockquote>
Baier, unperturbed, tried again: “But I’m talking about in January. Because here are his two top advisors, two of them, that he listens to closely, (former Biden chief of staff) Ron Klain and (Obamacare architect) Zeke Emanuel, on January 28 and January 30.
Baier played a clip of an interviewer asking Klain, “Would you ban Chinese travelers from arriving in the United States?”
Klayne answered, “I wouldn’t. I think that’s premature.” The next clip showed Emanuel pontificating, “Everyone in America should take a very big breath, slow down, and stop panicking and being hysterical.”
Baier: It goes on; they continue to make comments that “masks are not necessary at the moment,” “This is overreaction,” that goes into February and early March.  So understanding that those are the people he listens to, and Joe Biden has said he wouldn’t have closed the travel from China, what specifically would the former vice-president have done?”
Ducklo claimed, “Let’s get a few things straight. The vice president was not against the travel ban, first of all.”
Baier: He wasn’t?
Ducklo, deflecting, “Let’s remember an important distinction. Donald Trump is the president of the United States. It was on Donald Trump —“
Baier: I’m asking you if Donald Trump was the president of the United States. If he was —
Ducklo: It was on Donald Trump to take action to actually take action to protect the American people.
After Ducklo ranted further, Baier asked calmly, “Are you saying Joe Biden was for closing travel to China when the president did it?”
Ducklo deflected again, “Joe Biden has been clear that he was no against that travel ban.”
Baier, pressing: “He was for it?”
Ducklo: Joe Biden has been clear about this.
Later, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-biden-campaign-erupts-refuses-to-answer-if-biden-using-teleprompter-during-live-interviews?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">Baier asked</a>, “Has Joe Biden ever used a teleprompter during local interviews or to answer Q&amp;A with supporters?”
Ducklo snapped, “Bret, we are not going to eng —, this is, this is straight from the Trump campaign talking points.”
“Well, yeah, they’re using it,” Baier responded.
Ducklo accused, “And what it does, and what it does, Bret, is it’s trying to distract the American people.”
“They’re using it; they talk about it every day. Cn you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’?” Baier pressed.
“They talk about it every day, Bret, because they don’t have a coherent strategy—” Ducklo continued.
“Well, you haven’t answered,” Baier pressed. “Yes or no?”
After Ducklo continued to rant, Baier responded, “I understand, but you can’t answer the question.”
Ducklo ranted further, “Brett, I am not going to allow the Trump campaign to funnel their questions through Fox news and get me to respond to that.”
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Biden Should Have Fulfilled His Promise And Fired Ducklo ‘On The Spot’ After He Reportedly Sexually Harassed Reporter

TJ Ducklo Resigns As White House Deputy Press Secretary

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