If only the so-called "liberal" media cared so much about the ethics about Trump's parade of clownish press secretaries back when he was in office.
First Ed O'Keefe, of CBS News — the network that made the super ethical decision to hire Mick Mulvaney just to have access to the MAGA crowd — asks Jen Psaki this about reports she has plans to leave the White House and take a job with MSNBC:
Of course, she answers beautifully and transparently, but that's not good enough. Kristen Welker has to get in on the act.
"How can you continue to be an effective briefer if you do, in fact, have plans to join a media outlet?" Welker asked, completely oblivious to the in-depth answer Psaki just gave O'Keefe, or wanting her own sound bites. Or both.
Patient as always, Psaki answered, "Well, I have nothing, again, to announce about any conversation, or any future plans. And at whatever time I leave the White House, I can promise you the first thing I am going to do is sleep, and spend time with my 3- and 6-year-old, who are my most important audiences of all."
She continued, emphasizing for a second time that she's already answered this, "But I would say, Kristen, that again, I have taken the ethics, legal requirements, to the highest, very seriously in any discussions, any future considerations about any future employment, just as any White House official would, and I have taken steps beyond that to ensure there is no conflict."
Welker claims to understand the answer, but proceeds to ask the exact same question again.
"And I understand what you're saying, but I guess the question is, how is it ethical to have these conversations with these media outlets while you continue to have a job standing behind that podium?" said Welker.
In other words, "Explain this to me as if I am five." Psaki indulges her.
"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. That is true of any industry you're working in. I have abided by those and tried to take steps to go beyond that," answered Psaki.
Is Welker satisfied? Does she understand? What do YOU think?
"And broadly speaking, is it the policy of this White House to allow staffers to have discussions, even if indirectly, with institutions that impact and affect their jobs and your job here?" Welker asked.
JFC, has Welker never switched jobs before? I guess never in the history of ever has anyone known their time at one place of employment was coming to an end, and prepared for that eventuality by securing a future place of employment before. It's just so...out there! And there is no POSSIBLE way to do that ethically, is there?
Apparently, there is, and Psaki explained it for the fourth damn time in as many minutes.
"Well, it is the policy of this White House to ensure that anyone who is having conversations about future employment does so through consultation with the White House counsel's office, ensuring they abide by any ethics and legal requirements. And those are conversations that I have taken very seriously, and abided by every component of," Psaki said.
The media is so damn mediocre, it's embarrassing. Did they ask Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders if it was ethical to LIE to them? Did they ask Kayleigh MacEnany if it was ethical to serve on Trump's re-election campaign while serving as Press Secretary? Did they ask Stephanie Grisham if it was ethical to hold NOT A SINGLE PRESS CONFERENCE during her tenure? Oh, yeah, they couldn't. She didn't hold a single press conference during her tenure.
Yet they think they're doing their jobs, wasting the opportunity they have in this access to an informed, gifted, accessible communicator daily, by asking her questions crafted by their Republican bosses for the sole purpose of ginning up headlines, sound bites, and controversy. It's worse than mediocre. It's disgraceful.
Twitter agrees.
