TJ Ducklo has resigned his position as White House Deputy Press secretary following remarks he made to Politico reporter Tara Palmeri (at right).
Ducklo resigned Saturday night, a day after he was suspended without pay for threatening Palmeri during a phone conversation last month.
According to Vanity Fair, Ducklo made “derogatory and misogynistic comments” and threatened to “destroy” Palmeri. Palmeri had been inquiring about Ducklo’s relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond. Ducklo reportedly told Palmeri she was “jealous” of his relationship with McCammond.
Meanwhile, People magazine produced a glowing profile of the couple last week.
“No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior,” Ducklo wrote. “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.”
Ducklo, a former press representative for NBC News and chief spokesperson for NBC Nightly News, had been in his White House position for less than a month. Palmeri, a former ABC News White House correspondent, returned to Politico last month as one of the new co-authors of Politico’s morning newsletter Politico Playbook.
My statement on resigning from the White House. pic.twitter.com/3Jpiiv75vB
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) February 14, 2021