The new White House press secretary has been in a long-term relationship and shares a daughter with a prominent CNN correspondent, raising questions about whether the network, already beset by ethical challenges and scarred by scandals, can offer a unbiased coverage.
Karine Jean-Pierre, 44, who replaces Jen Psaki on May 13 after serving as an understudy, is a partner with CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, 55, and the couple share a seven-year-old daughter, Soleil.
And, while many celebrated the pioneering and historic nature of her appointment (Jean-Pierre is the first black woman and the first openly gay person to do the job), others were alarmed by conflicts of interest.
The network had to deal with the firing of Chris Cuomo in December for his role in his brother Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment scandal and then, two months later, it fired the network’s president, Jeff Zucker, for his secret affair with the companion. CNN Workforce Allison Gollust.
Juwan Holmes, associate editor of the online magazine LGBTQ Nation, has spent the past two years writing about Jean-Pierre’s work and said he anticipated the concern.
“I’m sure there won’t be Cuomo-level conflict of interest violations, but I hope it will be bought in the future…” he said.
Others quickly shut down the network.
“This is one of many examples of the corporate media LITERALLY in bed with the government they cover,” Alex Marlow, Breitbart’s editor-in-chief, tweeted.
Jean-Pierre and Malveaux with their daughter Soleil, born in 2014
Karine Jean-Pierre, 44, and her partner Suzanne Malveaux, CNN National Correspondent, 55, pictured Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Malveaux is pictured with her daughter, Soleil, who was born in 2014. The couple is seen celebrating Mardi Gras.
Another asked: ‘What is the name of the Universe where this is not a Conflict of Interest?’
Malveaux, who joined CNN in 2002, and Jean-Pierre are familiar faces on the DC scene, recently attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner together on Saturday night.
The couple met in 2012 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Psaki admitted that he was fighting back tears when he introduced Jean-Pierre as his successor, calling her his “partner in truth”.
“I’m going to cry,” an emotional Psaki said at the start of her briefing on Thursday as she walked her successor up to the podium and hugged her.
“I just want to take the opportunity to celebrate and congratulate my friend, my colleague, my true partner Karine Jean-Pierre, the next White House Press Secretary,” Psaki said.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy said he will miss his favorite training partner, Psaki, in the briefing room. She responded curtly by saying, ‘Will you?’
Psaki declined to comment on his future amid speculation that he will likely be heading to MSNBC, saying he only hopes to “sleep” and “read books.”
He then asked reporters for Netflix suggestions.
“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity required for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead communication about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden have “known and respected Karine for a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking up for me and this Administration.”
He then praised Psaki for “bringing decency back” to the White House briefing room in what appears to be a veiled blow to the Trump administration’s more combative relationship with the press.
“Jen Psaki has set the standard for bringing decency, respect and decorum back to the White House briefing room,” Biden said. “I want to thank Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and honestly with the American people, and keeping her sense of humor in doing so.”
Jen Psaki admitted she was fighting back tears as she introduced her ‘partner in truth’ Karine Jean-Pierre as President Joe Biden’s new press secretary.
“I just want to take the opportunity to celebrate and congratulate my friend, my colleague, my real partner Karine Jean-Pierre, the next White House Press Secretary,” she said at the start of her briefing Thursday.
“I thank Jen for her service to the country and wish her the best as she moves forward.”
The Columbia University graduate was born in Martinique and served as chief of staff to now Vice President Kamala Harris on the Biden campaign.
Jean-Pierre also served in the Obama administration as Regional Political Director for the White House Office of Political Affairs and on both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns.
Before joining Biden’s presidential bid, she was a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC and held positions at MoveON.org and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Psaki praised Jean-Pierre’s historic appointment in a statement on Twitter.
She will be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as White House press secretary. Representation is important and will give a voice to many, but it will also make many dream big about what is really possible,” said the outgoing press secretary.
Psaki said that Jean-Pierre has ‘decades of experience from her early years working in government and politics in New York City, to her years as an outspoken advocate, and serving as a longtime advisor to [Biden] when he was vice president.
‘She is passionate. She is smart and has a moral core that makes her not only a great colleague, but an amazing mother and human being. Also, she has a great sense of humor,’ praised Psaki.
Jean-Pierre replaced Psaki at the podium several times in the early part of the Biden administration, perhaps most notably when the press secretary was away after testing positive for COVID-19.
Along with her new promotion, the White House also announced Thursday that Biden’s former senior adviser, Anita Dunn, would return to the administration in the same role.
Dunn left the White House in August 2021. She is also an Obama veteran, having served as acting director of communications in the former president’s administration in 2009.
Psaki, for his part, has kept quiet about his future job prospects, presumably for ethical reasons.
Asked about possible ethical concerns about joining MSNBC while still on the podium, Psaki said during an April 1 briefing that he has “complied” with any and all ethics guidelines without confirming the status. report.
“Well, there are a variety of strict ethical and legal requirements that are placed on everyone in this administration and in many past administrations about any conversations you have with future employers,” he digressed at the time.
‘That’s true for whatever industry you’re working in. And I’ve stuck to that, and I’ve tried to take steps to go further as well.’
He added, fresh out of a period of isolation due to COVID: ‘I have nothing to confirm about the length of my public service or planned service, or anything about consideration of upcoming plans. So happy to be with all of you here today after it felt like an endless time in my quarantined basement away from my family.”
Other names potentially proposed to replace Psaki include Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, State Department spokesman Ned Price and communications director Kate Bedingfield.
Jean-Pierre takes on the role as the White House faces an uphill battle to help Democrats hold on to the House and Senate in this fall’s midterm elections, and as the administration struggles to address Americans’ concerns about rising inflation and the state of the economy.
He also takes office as Biden faces a bewildering array of foreign policy challenges, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s growing nuclear testing program.
Biden is scheduled to visit South Korea and Japan later this month and Europe in June.
Taking the lectern briefly as Psaki briefed reporters on Thursday, Jean-Pierre said he was “still processing” the significance of his hiring.
She called it ‘an honor and a privilege to stand behind this podium’.
“This is a historic moment, and it’s not lost on me,” he said. “It’s a very emotional day.”
Reference-www.dailymail.co.uk