(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) The Biden administration and its mainstream-media allies faced backlash for a hypocritical double-standard concerning the credibility of anonymous sources after a damning whistleblower report was published Monday in Politico.
The report outlined a toxic work environment in the office of first lady Jill Biden, not unlike recent allegations made against Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both fellow Democrats.
The brunt of it centered around Anthony Bernal, a Machiavellian top adviser to the first lady who has been dubbed “The Enforcer” by his colleagues.
“He has a constituency of one and he’s very effective on her behalf,” a Biden official familiar with the situation told Politico. “The problem is that no one who has worked with him trusts him, and that’s not good for him or her.”
Among the accounts of Bernal’s “mean streak” from anonymous confidantes were his “unfiltered criticism of others and tendency to trash talk his colleagues behind their backs.”
That had included making staffers cry and calling them “stupid” in meetings said the report.
Although few questioned Bernal’s absolute loyalty to the first lady, his treachery to colleagues and subordinates became so great a concern that some began to secretly record him.
“Even if you’re his friend, you know he’ll talk s**t about you,” said one staffer who, ironically, considered himself a friend of Bernal’s.
The report raised questions anew about President Joe Biden’s early pledge to uphold civility and respect within the White House—including a threat to fire on the spot any staffers who “treat another colleague with disrespect or talk down to someone,” recalled BizPacReview.
Already, the Democrat administration backed off that policy, instead giving a week’s suspension to a communications staffer who made aggressive threats, misogynist comments and attempted to extort favorable coverage from Politico journalists. The staffer subsequently resigned.
But as with the president’s pledges of transparency and ethics, the simple workaround for the Biden administration seemed to be an outright refusal to acknowledge the problems.
Knowing that the response from Press Secretary Jen Psaki would be more gaslighting, a New York Times reporter admitted that she “almost didn’t ask” about the Bernal bombshell, the Daily Caller reported.
Like they would ever admit a “mean girl” was in the White House
— Doctor Infrastructure (@Fauxgourmet1974) August 4, 2021
Psaki pounced to the defense of the East Wing tyrant on Tuesday, claiming she had worked closely with him and never noticed anything unusual.
“He’s been nothing but supportive and communicative, and that’s been my experience,” she claimed.
She also deflected the questions by attacking the credibility of the article, given its reliance on anonymous sources.
“You know, it’s hard to look at reports from anonymous sources,” she claimed after reporters asked if there would be any follow up to the accusations. “I’m not aware that is the intention.”
Left-wing reporters sheepishly agreed with Psaki, whose vindictive media browbeating has suggested that the toxic culture at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is not limited to Bernal.
However, the reaction led some to point out a glaring double-standard after members of the same press spent the entirety of the Trump administration promoting anonymously sourced whistleblower attacks to smear then-President Donald Trump.
LOL every accusation against trump was an anonymous source
— Joe Mama (@josephspano7) August 3, 2021
When it’s an anonymously sourced story about their opponents, they will heap on everything they can to make it real, or make it a point to divide people. But when it’s one of their own, nothing to see here.
— JayCol (@JayCol15) August 3, 2021
“You know, it’s hard to look into anonymously sourced reports.”
Really? pic.twitter.com/K4OWKGiXAQ
— DOUG JONES (@DOUG___JONES) August 3, 2021
