Could Biden REHIRE deputy press secretary who resigned after threatening to ‘destroy’ a reporter?

A disgraced former White House spokesperson is said to be on the verge of winning redemption and a key position on Joe Biden’s re-election campaign team.

Tyler “TJ” Ducklo was forced out of administration less than a month after Biden took office in 2021 when he threatened to “destroy” a reporter who asked him about his relationship with another journalist.

It was an early crisis for Biden, who had promised to fire any staffer who treated other people disrespectfully.

Ducklo, now 34, was suspended just a week after the exchange went public. He eventually resigned and now serves as communications chief for the City of Nashville and advisor to the mayor.

But as Biden prepares for his re-election campaign, senior figures say there could be a way back.

“If you screw up — and he did — apologize and better move on. He did,” said former White House press secretary Jen Psaki Politics.

“None of us want to be fully judged on our worst days.

“He is considered one of the most talented press people out there who leads with his heart and has been in the foxhole from the start of the 2020 campaign and that means something in the Biden world. As it should.’

Ducklo did not respond to a request for comment.

A return to the Biden world would be a remarkable turnaround.

Ducklo was initially suspended for a week without pay after it was found that he threatened Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, who was assigned to write about his romance with Alexi McCammond, who covered Biden’s presidential campaign.

The details emerged in a Vanity purse article, detailing how Palmeri contacted McCammond to ask her about the romance, while one of Palmeri’s male colleagues approached Ducklo.

But Ducklo called Palmeri, instead of her male colleague, to try and quell the story.

“I will destroy you,” he told her, according to sources. He said he would ruin her reputation and said she was jealous of McCammond because another unnamed man had wanted to fuck her and not Palmeri.

Ducklo was suspended and the White House said he would never work with Politico reporters again. The result was a series of tough questions for Psaki in the briefing room, as reporters asked if he was the right person to defend Biden’s record.

Psaki said Ducklo’s inappropriate comments stemmed not from a political narrative, but from questions about his personal life.

“I’m not saying that’s acceptable, I just want to make it clear that it wasn’t about an issue related to the White House or White House policies or anything like that,” she said.

But she struggled to explain why action hadn’t been taken until the comments had become public, and not until Politico editors filed a complaint.

She said Ducklo had apologized, but that apology soon came under scrutiny as well.

CNN got a copy of it: ‘Last night on the phone with you I lost my temper in an unprofessional manner, and I apologize for that. I should have kept my emotions under better control during our conversation. It will not happen again.’

Critics said it appeared to be a generic note without adopting the sexist language he had used.

Psaki also faced questions about how Ducklo would work with female reporters in the future — given his assignment as White House spokesperson — and why his suspension was so long overdue.

The original conversation between Ducklo and Palmeri took place on January 20 – inauguration day.

Following Ducklo’s comments to Palmeri, a Politico editor contacted the White House, prompting several conversations between Politico staffers and senior White House communications officials, including Psaki, Bedingfield, and West Wing director Anita Dunn. operations and a long-time Democratic operative.

In one conversation, White House officials acknowledged that Ducklo’s handling of the conversation with Palmeri was inappropriate. He later emailed Palmeri a note saying he was sorry he lost his cool, but did not respond to the allegations and threats.

Threats to reporters are not uncommon. But Biden’s White House promised to be different, promising to be one of the most transparent and ethical in American history.

When President Biden swore to White House staff on Jan. 20, he told them, “I’m not kidding when I say this: If you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague disrespectfully, talk to someone, I’ll fire you on the spot. No ifs, ands or buts.’

McCammond and Ducklo posted about their relationship in their Instagram stories and made the romance public themselves.

And when Politico informed the White House that they were publishing their story about it on Feb. 9, a story about the romance appeared on people magazine’s website the night before on February 8.

The glowing piece said that Ducklo and McCammond were friends at first and started dating in November, after which they disclosed their relationship to their superiors.

They told People they met through work, but at first Ducklo was single while McCammond was in a serious relationship.

They cite the change in their relationship when Ducklo was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in December 2019. He underwent treatments while campaigning and in the White House.

McCammond said Ducklo’s diagnosis helped her realize that her view of him had changed.

“After the election, when we both had some downtime, it was clear that our years of friendship had the potential for something else. When TJ was diagnosed… I had an idea then how much he meant to me and I’m just thankful that I can now be there for him every step of the way as his partner,” she told People.

Politico noted his piece on the relationship: “POLITICO first contacted the White House in late January with questions about Ducklo and McCammond. On Monday evening, Playbook informed Biden’s communications staff that this item would be published today. Hours later, a glowing profile of McCammond and Ducklo’s relationship was published by People.”