Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden’s press secretary plans to take an on-air role at MSNBC – often referred to as a ‘leftist network’ by Trump fans. This puts her departure from the White House around May.
While Psaki was reportedly also been in talks with CNN and other networks, Psaki will host a show for NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, Peacock.
But she actually neither confirmed nor denied reports that she would leave the Biden administration.
“You can’t get rid of me yet. I have nothing to confirm about my length of public service or planned service… my focus every day continues to be speaking on behalf of the president,” Psaki told a reporter, as stated.
She also dismissed several questions about whether it is ethical to do media work while she is a government spokeswoman.
“I have always gone over and above the stringent ethical and legal requirements of the Biden administration and I take that very seriously. And as a standard for every employee of the White House, I have received rigorous ethics counseling including as it relates to any future employment. I’ve complied with all ethics requirements and gone beyond, and taken steps to recuse myself from decisions as appropriate,” said Psaki.
Psaki said when asked how it could be ethical to do both things simultaneously, that she has followed the established legal and ethical rules regarding talks with future employers “and tried to take steps to go beyond that, as well.”
Psaki added that she has taken those conversations “very seriously,” as the White House policy in those situations requires “consultation with the White House counsel’s office” to ensure employees abide by “any ethics and legal requirements.”
But it seems that not everyone was very convinced, as Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics during the Obama administration tweeted: “I’m old enough to remember how grossed out we all were by the White House-to-Fox pipeline in the last administration. And I’m young enough to think these government-media linkages are still not super healthy regardless of who’s in the White House.”