Saturday 14 May 2022 06:52 AM MSNBC refuses to deny former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will be its ... trends now
MSNBC on Friday refused to deny that outgoing White House press secretary Jen Psaki had signed a deal to become its new star host after it was claimed some staff were angered by her alleged hiring.
Psaki, 43, carried out her last press briefing on Friday, fighting to hold back tears at the end of a 16 month stint that saw her hold 224 briefings - more than all four of Donald Trump's press secretaries combined.
On Friday evening, a spokesman for the network refused to confirm what is believed to be the worst-kept secret in TV news - that Psaki left her prestigious job to launch a career with the liberal network.
In April news broke that she was in talks with various news broadcasters about a post-White House role, and it rapidly emerged that she was in exclusive talks with MSNBC for a multi-million dollar contract to have her own show.
Questions were asked how she could continue to do her job impartially while in contractual negotiations with one of the media outlets she dealt with daily.
Psaki didn't deny rumors of the planned career change when grilled during a press conference. She didn't go into any specifics either - but insisted she'd always acted ethically, and flagged any potential conflict of interest to her bosses.
In early April, Noah Oppenheim, the NBC News president, held an impromptu phone call with staff at the Washington bureau - some of whom had complained to their superiors, CNN reported, that the tentative hiring tarnishes the NBC News brand.
Jen Psaki held back tears in her final White House press briefing on Friday
Jen Psaki held 224 briefings in her 15 months as White House press secretary. She's pictured during her final one on Friday
White House press secretary Jen Psaki waves goodbye after her last press briefing
The Connecticut-born Psaki, a longtime Democratic press aide, is believed to be heading to MSNBC after the White House
NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker asked Psaki whether she could still be an 'effective briefer' if she was having discussions with a particular media outlet.
'I've taken steps beyond that to ensure there's no conflicts,' said Psaki.
There has been no evident favoritism: Psaki has given four interviews to NBC News/MSNBC; three to Fox News; three to CNN; two to HBO/Showtime; one to ABC News and four to podcasts, according to data provided by the White House.
Administration officials have appeared on all the Sunday public affairs shows since the start of 2022 - ABC featuring the most, at 16, with CNN second at 15, followed by 13 on CBS, 12 on Fox, and 11 appearing on NBC.
Psaki has steadfastly refused to comment on what she would do outside the White House, beyond sleeping and catching up on Netflix shows.
On Friday, MSNBC refused to comment when asked by DailyMail.com whether Psaki's hiring was official.
Nine of the 11 past White House press secretaries went on to carry out a TV commentator role - and one of the two who didn't, Stephanie Grisham, representing Trump, never did a news briefing.
But, unlike Psaki, most have started out as commentators or analysts.
Psaki is expected to host her own show immediately, on the MSNBC streaming service Peacock.
Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (left) will take over as press secretary
Her salary was unclear. Joy Reid earns an estimated $1.5 million a year at MSNBC, while Rachel Maddow, their star anchor, is reported to earn anywhere from $7-30 million a year.
As press secretary, Psaki made $180,000 - the highest level for any White House employee. She was paid the same as Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain.
She is widely-believed to have been poached with a seven-figure salary, with bosses at MNSBC likely to be delighted to hire a host with such intimate knowledge of the current administration.
Psaki herself insisted there had been no double standards in her hunting for a job while still working as White House press secretary.
'I took steps and have taken steps, as I've had any discussions with any future employer, that go over and above any requirements by government, recusing myself of any discussions as well, and I'm proud of that,' Psaki said on Sunday in an interview with Howard Kurtz of Fox News.
On Friday, in her final session at the podium, she praised her back-and-forth with reporters as democracy in action.
'I promised I was going to keep it together,' she said, as she brushed back tears.
Psaki thanked several people, including the president, her co-workers in the White House, her team in the press office, and the reporters in the White House press corps.
'I want to thank all of you in this room,' she said to the reporters.
'You have challenged me, you have pushed me. You have debated me and at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action. That is it working.
'Without accountability, without debate, government is not as strong and you all play an incredibly pivotal role.'
She also thanked President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for letting her serve as spokesperson for the administration.
'I hope I followed the example of integrity and grace that they have set for all of us and do set for all of us every day and I'm incredibly grateful to them,' she said.
Most of the staff of the White House press office was in the room for the briefing, including her successor Karine
