Conflict of interest accusations are swirling around Karine Jean-Pierre following reports that President Biden’s incoming White House press secretary lives with a CNN correspondent.
SO WHAT
It’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference between a mainstream media reporter and a Biden flak.
WHAT HAPPENED
Pierre, who is black and openly gay, has long been romantic partners with CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, the Washington Times reported Friday.
The mainstream press has heralded Pierre’s hiring as a milestone for black and LGBT Americans, but her relationship with Malveaux, with whom she shares a 7-year-old daughter, has received little scrutiny outside conservative media circles.
- Malveaux, formerly a CNN White House correspondent, has moved to “covering national and international news and cultural events,” according to her biography.
- “This is one of many examples of the corporate media LITERALLY in bed with the government it covers,” Breitbart News editor Alex Marlow tweeted in response to the news.
- Pierre is set to replace White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Friday.
THE PROBLEM
Pierre is far from the first Biden administration figure to have raised concerns about media conflicts of interest.
- Psaki: Axios reported last month that the outgoing White House press secretary was in advanced talks to leave her administration post for a job at MSNBC.
- TJ Ducklo: The deputy White House press secretary’s relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the Biden campaign, sparked a scandal last February. Ducklo resigned after his threats to a Vanity Fair reporter came to light.
- Thomas Nides: In June 2021, ethics experts slammed the president for nominating Nides, who is married to a top CNN executive, to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Nides was nonetheless confirmed to the role in November.