OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki could be in hot water now that a watchdog group believes she has crossed the line.
The press secretary has reportedly been in negotiations with two networks, CNN and MSNBC, and ultimately decided on going to MSNBC.
As she was in negotiations, and before actually beginning work for MSNBC, she has bashed one of their competitors on Fox News, all while being an official agent of the federal government.
This has gotten the attention of the watchdog group Protect the People’s Trust.
“Today, federal ethics watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust requested an investigation into possible ethics violations by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. Ms. Psaki’s statements and actions in the wake of widespread media reporting that she has been in negotiations to leave federal service for a role with a major media outlet appear inconsistent with her own promise to set ‘an example of engagement and transparency,’” the group said in a press release.
“Despite the reporting and recusal requirements, federal employees must comply with while in negotiations for outside employment as well as her own statements regarding those obligations, Ms. Psaki does not appear to have altered her behavior with respect to either her prospective employer or its competitors. She has continued to brief reporters from the White House podium, including fielding inquiries from the organizations reportedly in a bidding war for her services,” it said.
“In addition, her comments on April 14, 2022, recording of Pod Save America disparaging Fox News, a competitor of her reported prospective employer, could constitute a misuse of her official position. During the podcast, Ms. Psaki was introduced by her title of White House Press Secretary and answered questions relating to President Biden and other aspects of her official duties. When asked about Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, she declared, ‘He works for a network that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a b***h,’” the group said.
“These actions could create a potential conflict of interest or the perception of a possible conflict of interest in the eyes of the American public. In keeping with the administration’s promises, expressed by Ms. Psaki in her role as White House Press Secretary, to be both the most ethical and most transparent in history, PPT requests an investigation into whether Ms. Psaki misused her position and created the appearance of an impermissible conflict of interest as well as for the release of records relating to Ms. Psaki’s recusals and negotiations for future non-federal employment,” it said.
“Jen Psaki on multiple occasions has touted the Biden Administration’s commitment to not just meet the minimum requirements with respect to ethics and transparency but to exceed the achievements of every one of its predecessors,” the group’s director, Michael Chamberlain, said. “Her pursuit of outside employment presents the perfect opportunity for her and the administration to demonstrate that commitment and take a step toward restoring the American public’s trust in its government. They don’t appear to be off to a great start in that regard but complying with our requests would represent a move in the right direction.”
As the group said, during the podcast, Psaki took aim at Fox News.
Politico White House Correspondent Eugene Daniels asked Psaki, “Peter Doocy is a stupid son of a bitch, or does he just play one on TV?”
“He works for a network that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a bitch,” the press secretary said about Doocy.
Jen Psaki is asked if “Peter Doocy is a stupid son of a bitch or does he just play one on tv:”
“He works for a network that provides people with questions that, nothing personal to any individual including Peter Doocy, but might make anyone sound like a stupid son of a bitch.” pic.twitter.com/2FYMPX12Rr
— Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) April 15, 2022
The issue for Psaki is, if reports are correct, she is set to leave the White House and work for the rival MSNBC, which makes using her official position as press secretary to attack another network a violation of ethics, Mediate columnist Colby Hall said.
“For the record, I’ve long felt that Jen Psaki is a master of her job as Press Secretary but also may be the best at the job that we’ve seen in the current 24/7 political media ecosystem. But she is not above criticism. And her comments about why Peter Doocy may or may not come off as a ‘stupid son of a bitch,’ crosses a significant line given her widely reported future plans to join NBC,” he said.
