Jen Psaki to reportedly leave White House, Biden for MSNBC
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressed Friday about a report that she will soon leave her current gig for MSNBC, which has raised questions about whether it is ethical for her to remain in the role.
Psaki declined to discuss her future plans, telling reporters “you can’t get rid of me yet,” before adding that “I have nothing to confirm about my length of public service or planned service, or anything about consideration about next plans.”
Axios reported Friday morning that Psaki is in exclusive talks with the cable network and has been in close consultation with the White House counsel’s office about her pending departure.
At the afternoon briefing, several reporters — including NBC News’ own Kristen Welker — pressed the press secretary on how she could remain as President Biden’s chief spokesperson while negotiating a salary with a media outlet.
“Is it ethical for you to continue conducting this job while negotiating with the media?” CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe asked.
“I have always gone over and above the stringent ethical and legal requirements of the Biden administration and I take that very seriously,” Psaki responded. “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 the decisions as appropriate. And so I hope that all of you working with us sometime would judge me for my record and how I treat all of you both in the briefing room and otherwise,” she added.
“How is it ethical to have these conversations with media outlets while you continue to have a job standing behind that?” Welker asked.
“Well, there are a range of stringent ethical and legal requirements that are imposed on everybody in this administration and many administrations past about any conversations you’re having with future employers,” Psaki explained.
“That is true of any industry you’re working in. And I have abided by those and tried to take steps to go beyond that as well as the policy of this White House to allow staffers to have discussions even directly with institutions of the impact.”
The tentative deal would place Psaki as the host of a show on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock. She would also be a part of MSNBC’s live cable programming on various shows, according to Axios.
Psaki has long been expected to depart the White House for a TV gig, and reports emerged in February that her services were sought by both CNN — where she worked as a commentator during the Trump administration — and MSNBC.
In May 2021, the press secretary indicated that she planned to depart from the administration sometime this year.“I think it’s going to be time for somebody else to have this job in a year from now or about a year from now,” she said at the time on a podcast with CNN analyst David Axelrod.
Friday marked Psaki’s first White House press briefing since March 21. The following day, she announced she had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing her to miss President Biden’s trip to Belgium and Poland. Her deputy, Karine Jean-Pierre, went in her stead and tested positive upon her return to the US last weekend.
Psaki’s departure would follow several exits from Vice President Kamala Harris’ office, including that of former spokesperson Symone Sanders, who also signed an exclusive deal with MSNBC in January to host a show on Peacock.
It is not uncommon for former administration officials — such as press secretaries — to join networks as commentators or hosts.
Former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany works as a commentator for Fox News, while another former Trump press secretary, Sean Spicer, hosts his own show on Newsmax TV.
