TJ Ducklo

[Springerjjhicka]

A dust up between Ducklo of the Biden White House and a reporter. Long story. Ducklo says some really insensitive things and he gets suspended a week without pay. Criticism of Biden White House for waiting a couple of weeks to punish him. It should be mentioned that Ducklo is seriously ill and perhaps they waited out of sensitivity to that. Certainly nothing to apologize for.

[still_one]

1. Not just seriously ill, he has stage 4 cancer and is undergoing treatment

[Springerjjhicka]

3. Yes. I don't see how he works right now.

The guy ought to get some consideration for that.

[tonedevil]

6. Apparently his method of working...

involves threatening reporters and calling them jealous because a man, the coward Ducklo doesn't bother to name, wanted to fuck another woman. Not just any other woman the girlfriend that Ducklo didn't want reported about so he was making a call to threaten the reporter who's story it was. Maybe you can forgive someone from the Whitehouse threatening a reporter, but I think we need to clean house right now.

[cwydro]

11. I agree wholeheartedly.

I’m sorry if he’s ill, but this has nothing to do with who he is as a person.

[Blue_true]

76. I am sorry to hear that he is seriously ill.

But what he did was a raw abuse of power.

[tonedevil]

77. A lot of people on our side...

don't seem to see think that is bad as long as it is a Democrat abusing the power. I hoped for better from us.

[Blue_true]

78. I agree.

After 4 year of Trump and a “see no evil, hear no evil” Republican leadership class, we should be hyper-sensitive to abuse of power, regardless of where it comes from.

[Springerjjhicka]

81. So you would give no consideration

to Ducklo's personal situation?

[tonedevil]

84. While a Government official...

he called and threatened a reporter. Because of his position that can easily be seen as governmental prior restraint of the press. It has been 50 years, but when I was in High School civics class I remember that is what isn't allowed by the first amendment.

[Springerjjhicka]

89. He resigned. Very loyal to Biden. Tough guy.

[tonedevil]

90. OK. /nt

[Budi]

2. Well, since it involves Politico, I'll take this with the usual suspicion

DC is a scandal waiting to happen, or at least be enhanced.
Who knows. I'm not in favor of the 'kick him when he's down', he's at stage 4 ffs.

Somehow, this looks like a high school level dust up.
For what end? To get someone's name moved up the who's-who-today list in DC?
F that. Grow up.

[cwydro]

5. He told the reporter he "would destroy" her.

Also accused her of being jealous because someone didn’t “want to f##k her.”

Hardly high school level.

[Budi]

17. What led up to the end scenario that was reported?

There's more to this story than the last paragraph.

Sounds like a revenge move.
Bets there's another part before the got-cha ending .
I'll wait for the truth before casting judgment on someone with stage 4 cancer

Wonder how many times thru the history of lovers those exact words, in their emotional fights have been shouted at each other...


I prefer to hear the lead up to this personal dust up that one of them chose to 'destroy back'.

Fk ya! Sure showed him.!! Woo hooo!!!
Stage 4 cancer but never mind that, nor the story that lead up to his emotional comments.

I'm not taking his side here, BUT I'm also not taking hers, and only because she rushed it to the press with the key trigger words that are required of a good scandal.

There's another side to this. & I'd need to hear the hurtful words spoken by her, to him, & compare to see if her words are as scandalous as his.

Yes. Its a high school level emotional fight ...
Bitter acts, bitter words, bitter response, ..

[cwydro]

18. I've been through some romantic drama in my time.

Never ever have I heard or said the words “I will destroy you.”

[Budi]

23. What lead up to his comments? That's my only actual questionnn.

What was the relationship between the 2 prior to the comments?

C'mon, DC is a cutthroat place where in an instant an opportunity to stake your claim you fame can happen & there you are!

Who doesn't love a good scandal in that city?

I'm not that forgiving of the way ths went down.
There's a 1st part to the story that's not been told.

That's where I'm staying with this story.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

21. There's no "side" to take. He let some petty shit from his personal life cloud his judgment and

self-control in a sensitive position. Gone.

[Laffy Kat]

22. Yep. I'm sorry he's sick, but he got off easy, IMO. nt

[Budi]

30. So there's no lead up to his reaction. He just decided to walk out there & throw some

..nasty comments her way.
That's it.
Because that's what her story to the scandal waiting Press told us.

That's the bullshit part.

So she got him. Good for her. Hope she stays away from his funeral.

May be she can get a bookdeal after he's gone & tell the rest of the story of the relationship. From her perspective..

[WhiskeyGrinder]

31. It's generally understood that government officials shouldn't threaten members of the press.

[tonedevil]

32. Their relationship is...

she is a reporter who was going to publish a story about who Ducklo and the reporter he is dating so he called her and threatened her. There is no perspective to be had people who work at the Whitehouse who threaten reporters must be fired. Did you think donald and company intimidating reporters was OK?

[Budi]

33. Right so she dug in & threatened to print a tell-all personal scandal

..about him & another reporter who were at some point dating & THAT is the bait that got the reaction, that she's now using as her victim defense that she then shopped to scandal ready Vanity Fair & Politico.
Yes Politico, where all up & coming DC journos go to vie for relevance in a crowded field.

Got it.
Well, she sure made her name didn't she!

What was she putting in her 1st scandalous story of the couple that caused this reaction in him?
If you're stepping out to dish the goods on someone elses affair, then be tough enough to take the blowback.

Congrats. She's somebody now.
Bets she's already working on the rest of her story to sell.

[tonedevil]

36. To me...

there is no such thing as a context where someone from the Whitehouse calls a reporter and threatens to destroy them that makes it OK. You seem to think there are reporters and/or stories that warrant a Government Official calling and intimidating them. I think that should result in that person no longer working for the Whitehouse. At least, if you want to be ethical.

[Budi]

38. She knew what she was doing & should be fired as well.

I don't give her anymore credit than him.

She holds a position as a journo to destroy as well.
And she was doing just that when this bs occurred.
She wanted her story out to the press & make her name known.
She succeeded however she had to get there.

Fk her too.
I despise her kind of opportunistic unethical scandal writers as much as I do his unprofessional words, when he felt threatened.

She should be banned from the WH Press pool.
And he should resign & take care of his health.

[tonedevil]

40. You really don't understand a free press. /nt

[Budi]

44. Oh I understand it, I just abhorr the opportunistic scandal writers vying for relevance

She had no problem destroying him either.
What scandalous story was she set to expose about a personal relationship that had nothong to do with his WH position.

Who cares. She made her name.
Ban her from the WH Press.
She can go dig up scandals somewhere else, to keep a paycheck coming in.

She had no concern about destroying him
I hate her kind. Free press or not.
This dust up came about because of her, she got the reaction she needed.
Guess that's called 'hard hitting' in the underbelly world of Free Press.

[tonedevil]

50. She was writing a story about the relationship...

between Ducklo and Alexi McCammond. Since Ducklo is a Whitehouse official and McCammond is a reporter who covered the Biden campaign, which Ducklo was part of, and now the Biden administration, which Ducklo is also a member of, their relationship does bring up legitimate questions for the press. That those questions were being pursued by the press means it is much worse that Ducklo called one of the reporters and threatened her. It is worth mentioning that Ducklo was first contacted by a male coworker of Palmeri's and some how Ducklo didn't see fit to threaten the man.

[OnDoutside]

65. Well said.

[Budi]

70. Yup. This is the underbelly kind of 'jornalism' that helped get America into the shithole

..we're clawing our way out of.

Nothing like a good smear campaign to destroy the charachter of someone you got a grudge for as you're making a name for yourself.
May be Fox will hire her. They love this kind of shit scoop.

Stage 4 cancer & this is what she brings him.
Lovely as Tara Reade.

Multiple things can be true:
-Politico is not great
-They shouldn't have been researching Ducklo's personal life
-Ducklo had a right to be pissed
-Ducklo's reaction was still bad
-The reaction to this story from some in the press is hypocritical given the pass they gave to Trump.
******

Who are these journos going adtet Ducklo?

[OnDoutside]

71. True dat.

[Budi]

73. So Olivia is dating Ryan Lizzo of Politico! Wait for it... it's ALL BIDEN's FAULT

Link to tweet

This Ryan Lizzo (who's never had a truthful good thing to say about Democrats OR Biden.

Aaahaaa...see where this shitshow comes from?
Figures🙄 enough said...

Link to tweet

[JI7]

85. Yup, It's the phony bs of it all.

Now, Democrats do need to be smart about these things and know the media makes a big deal out of consensual relationships of Democrats than they do of actual assault of people like Gianforte actually assaulting a reporter and republicans supporting him. And actual sexual harassment like Ryan Lizza did.

So Democrats need to be extra careful and have to deal with it in a better way.

BUT that doesn't mean their bs is not going to be called out and accepted by those if us who aren't fooled by their bs.

[OnDoutside]

88. That's the standard of Nuzzi alright. Thanks for that.

I hope they all get frozen out by reputable journalists.

[Springerjjhicka]

56. As I said I am just glad that Biden

and Bedingfield are handling this. I'm sure that some of you would have no problem firing a guy with Ducklo's illness. You can say it makes no difference but yeah it does. If you think it doesn't then you're the one who is sick.

[Celerity]

87. In today's high schools you find far worse than that, especially in the US.

Not making excuses btw. Just giving some perspective.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. IMO, the White House should fire him.

[cwydro]

12. I'm afraid so.

A damn shame, and I’m very disappointed, but it sounds like he’s got some serious issues.

[Springerjjhicka]

13. The guy has stage four lung cancer

And stuck it out through the campaign to stay on the job. So you don't think in this case a suspension without pay might be sufficient. His behavior was reprehensible but he deserves a break. Why do you think he should not be afforded a chance to straighten this out.

[cwydro]

15. Someone who says "I will destroy you" to someone in a lesser position (or in any position)...

Something going on here and its not good.

Nothing to do with his illness.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. There's nothing to "straighten out."

He showed breathtakingly shitty judgment and a lack of self-control in a sensitive position. Buh-bye.

[Politicub]

25. He can continue insurance through COBRA or ACA.

So treatment for his illness isn’t as big of a factor as people are letting on.

[Kid Berwyn]

27. Thank you.

I, too, have said dumb stuff when ill.

ETA: A hearty welcome to DU, Springerjjhicka!

[Springerjjhicka]

41. Being disrespectful is never good

but he has been through a really tough time. Plus I would bet the message came from Joe to Kate Bedingfield if this happens again he is history.

[tonedevil]

7. Are you really so ready to protect anyone...

on "our team" that you don't think someone from the Whitehouse threatening a reporter is serious enough that person should not work for the Whitehouse anymore?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. For many, "It's better than Trump!!!!" is good enough.

[tonedevil]

10. I'm going to need a micrometer...

to see the difference between this and donald's attacks against the press. If you are measuring the aggregate donald did it more times, but intimidating reporters and trying to use off the record as a cover is one of the things I know I have been pissed about for the past for years and once is too many from any administration.

[dalton99a]

9. Metastasized to his liver, gallbladder and bones

But still there is no excuse for what he did

[SharonClark]

14. Then he should be on medical leave

and not at the WH threatening people and being a sexist asshole. His boss loses her credibility trying to cover for him.

[Springerjjhicka]

16. So if he had threatened a man

This would all be just fine. I'm really glad Joe Biden is running this show and not some others.

[cwydro]

19. Please show where anyone on this thread said that?

No, it would not be ok.

[bronxiteforever]

26. +100

[Springerjjhicka]

29. Pretty much calling him a sexist

So if he had said this to a male you would have no "sexist" complaint. From what I've read Ducklo is generally known as a good guy. That's what leads me to believe this incident is a result of what he has been through or we don't know the entire story.

[cwydro]

35. Wow, you really don't get it, huh?

He wouldn’t have said that to a male. Ever.

[BannonsLiver]

48. We have no way of knowing that.

[cwydro]

49. Yeah, he'd have said to a man, "You're jealous because she didn't want to f##k you."

Sure he would.

[Budi]

28. Right. But it was hauled to Vanity Fair and Politico?

Perhaps it should have been handeled another way than 'run your story to the scandal mongers of the press.'

That's what's fked up about this.
What's the story not being told, cuz he just didn't react like this out of the blue.

It's bullshit.
Suspend them both.

[Springerjjhicka]

42. That's easy for one of us to say.

[Politicub]

24. He would be able to continue cancer treatments through COBRA insurance

or a marketplace plan.

There may be more to this Politico story that we’re missing. At this point, he has become the news, which should never happen with someone who works in public relations.

[Budi]

34. Who put him in the news?

So this reporter was writing a tell-all scandal about him & another reporter who she happened to be privy to.

They both should be fired.

[tonedevil]

37. That is some serious authoritarianism...

you seem to dislike the idea of a free press.

[Boomerproud]

39. I saw the story on CNNs site and nothing was mentioned

about cancer. Hmmm.

[dalton99a]

43. It was in the news back in October

https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/10/16/tj-ducklo-32-joe-bidens-press-secretary-and-he-has-stage-4-cancer/
He’s 32. He’s Joe Biden’s Press Secretary. And He Has Stage 4 Cancer.
TJ Ducklo found out what it’s like to work a presidential campaign while you’re battling a devastating personal health crisis.
Written by Luke Mullins | Published on October 16, 2020

[Springerjjhicka]

45. Ducklo was diagnosed

With this months ago.

[BannonsLiver]

57. It's because they're looking out for their media colleagues

By deliberately leaving that detail out. It’s about narratives.

[DeminPennswoods]

46. There's more to this I bet

Both McCammond and Ducklo told their bosses of their romance. McCammond was re-assigned by Axios from covering Biden to covering Harris.

There is no scandal at all, but for some reason, VF thought this was newsworthy. As if people don't meet future spouses on the job or work related to doing their job. Maybe the VF reporter is a jilted former GF or has an ax to grind with one or both of McCammond and Ducklo? Maybe Ducklo just felt his personal life was none of VF's business and lost his temper? Ducklo's basically a nobody in the scheme of the WH org chart after all.

If anything, this is Hallmark Channel romance movie material.

[BannonsLiver]

47. It should also be mentioned

That some slime ball at Politico was dredging up a gossip story about who he was dating, as if that should be relevant to anyone let alone a national publication.

Now I agree a simple go fuck yourself it’s none of your business should have been the way he dealt with this trashy TMZ wannabe POS but like a lot of people he got defensive when it got personal. It happens.

[tonedevil]

51. The person who he was dating...

Alexi McCammond is a reporter who covered the campaign Ducklo was part of and the administration that Ducklo is currently part of. Their relationship is a legitimate question for the press.

[cwydro]

52. Thank you.

Exactly.

[tonedevil]

53. It seems a bit of a fib...

to say Ducklo just had a girlfriend, that no one would ever have any interest in, and someone was reporting on his private life just to be a gossip.

[Springerjjhicka]

54. Their relationship is

their relationship. As long as tgey carry out their assigned duties as prescribed and leave the personal stuff for after hours there is no reason that press has any right to question.

[tonedevil]

58. This is why it is ok for...

Ducklo to have threatened a reporter? It still smacks of authoritarianism, just like what I saw forgiven or even encouraged in donald's administration, and I don't like it from my political side.

[BannonsLiver]

55. Nonsense

It’s inside baseball TMZ gossip of no relevancy to anyone. Now it is true, there are people who love gossip. But that doesn’t mean it has value as news. Anyway, it looks like he’s staying. Good.

[tonedevil]

59. So we will keep authoritarian bullies...

as long as they are on our "team"? That is a big black eye to our party and this administration.

[Springerjjhicka]

60. I would bet you would be laughed out of DC

If people who know TJ Ducklo heard you call him an "authoritarian bully."

[tonedevil]

61. I know what he has done now.

Whitehouse officials should not get a second chance to call a reporter to intimidate her or him.

[OnDoutside]

62. Why is it a legitimate question ? Sounds more like a fucking shitty question.

[tonedevil]

63. I think a Whitehouse official...

in a relationship with a political reporter raises legitimate questions. A reporter asking those questions shouldn't be threatened by said Whitehouse official. That is authoritarian behavior and we should not turn a blind eye just because it is someone in Biden's administration.

[OnDoutside]

64. It's only legitimate if it was kept a secret, which it wasn't. And a WH Official with Stage 4 Cancer

dealing with an inconsiderate asshole. I hope you never have from Stage 4 cancer and answer a cheap shot shitty question like that.

[tonedevil]

66. I don't see having cancer...

as an excuse for a Whitehouse official threatening a reporter.

[OnDoutside]

67. I hope the weather stays well for you in that ivory tower.

[tonedevil]

68. OK /nt

[JI7]

69. They both told their employers and she was removed from

reporting on Biden.

[tonedevil]

74. Clear reason for a Whitehouse official...

to make a threatening call to a reporter writing a story about this completly above board relationship.

[JI7]

79. These are gossip columnists, not reporters

[tonedevil]

80. Moot point anyway...

Ducklo has resigned. Now you can complain that the gossip columnists ran him out of his job.

[JI7]

82. I'm not the one complaining , you are. I just see things as they are.

[tonedevil]

83. OK /nt

[demmiblue]

72. ... probably should be fired. n/t

[George II]

75. He resigned. I guess he's got more to worry about than a dust up with a reporter.

[Celerity]

86. yes, he is, to be blunt, a dead man walking (M1B stage IV lung cancer) so I feel bad for the bloke

He should have quit for health reasons long before this.

I find this entire thing to be a tempest in a teapot. He obviously is off his head, so is going to snap easily.

None of this is Biden or anyone's else's fault.