White House Suspends Deputy Press Secretary Following Heated Conversation with Politico Reporter

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responds to questions about the decision to suspend Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo only after Vanity Fair published a story about a heated conversation he had with Politico reporter Tara Palmeri about a story she was working on about his relationship with Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond. Psaki says Dutko apologized to the reporter and has been suspended without pay for one week. She says he regrets his behavior and that it did not meet her standard or the standard of the president. She says she made the decision to suspend Dutko and that Chief of Staff Ron Klain was aware of her decision. close