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The claim could hardly be greater.
“Transparency and truth” will bring the government back, promised Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for US President Joe Biden.
Biden took office only a few hours ago when Psaki, 42, emphasized the “great respect” she had for the “role of a free and independent press in our democracy”.
She also shows respect for reporters, said Psaki during her first appearance in the press room of the White House.
With her words, Psaki wanted to break away from the robust behavior of the Trump administration with journalists.
Trump himself had regularly attacked reporters with the Stalinist curse word "enemy of the people".
He accused journalists who he did not like with “fake news”.
"I will destroy you" - with these words Jen Psakis deputy Tyler J. Ducklo threatened a journalist in Washington.
This is what the magazine "Vanity Fair" reports.
Ducklo, 32, wanted to put pressure on the journalist Tara Palmeri, 33, who writes for the online magazine "Politico", to prevent an article from being published.
Palmeri researched Ducklo's relationship with Alexi McCammond, 27, a journalist from the online portal "Axios".
The case is the first scandal in the White House under Biden's presidency.
Biden replaced Trump on January 20.
The president's environment tried to limit the damage on Friday.
Chief spokeswoman Psaki said her deputy Ducklo had apologized to the reporter, "with whom he had a heated conversation about his private life."
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Ducklo had expressed his "deep regrets" to the journalist and knew that he had violated the rules of conduct established by the president.
The White House suspended Ducklo for a week with no pay.
The White House, meanwhile, has to answer the question of why it has only now suspended Ducklo - and whether suspension is enough.
The case is extremely delicate for Biden and his spokeswoman.
On his first day at the White House, the President had set high moral standards for his staff to work with.
Anyone who works with him and he hears “that you are disrespecting another colleague, despising someone, I promise you that I will fire you on the spot.
No ifs or buts. ”The“ Politico ”playbook asked pointedly:“ Does this standard also apply to the way in which middle-level press employees deal with reporters? ”
In the phone call, Ducklo Palmeri reportedly threatened to ruin her reputation at the end of January if she published her research.
According to "Vanity Fair" Ducklo also made derogatory and misogynistic comments, used vulgar expressions and described Palmeri as "jealous" of his relationship.
Palmeri works for the "Politico" newsletter Playbook, which reports on the political inner life of Washington.
Playbook had reported on the relationship between Ducklo and the "Axios" journalist this week.
Politico magazine contacted the White House the day after the threat.
There were several conversations between "Politico" and Biden's staff, including Psaki and Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director.
Ducklo's behavior was indecent, it said from the Biden government.
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"Completely unacceptable" was Ducklo's behavior, said Psaki on Friday.
Ducklo is the first to recognize "that this is not the standard of conduct" that President Biden had set.
Ducklo had meanwhile expressed his regret over the incident in writing to the journalist, said Paski.
After his return, Ducklo will no longer be entrusted with tasks that have to do with working with "Politico" journalists, announced Psaki.
Ducklo himself did not comment on the case on his Twitter account.
On Monday he had spread a tweet from a colleague from People Magazine.
This linked a very benevolent “People” portrait of the relationship between Ducklo and “Axios” journalist McCammond.