Book Alleges Sean Spicer Once Ordered a Journalist Fired Over Sexual Ivanka Trump Tweet
January 26, 2018A new book alleges that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer once ordered that a journalist be fired from The Atlantic over a sexual tweet she posted about first daughter Ivanka Trump.
After reporter Julia Ioffe tweeted in December 2016, “Either Trump is f - - king his daughter or he’s shirking nepotism laws,” Spicer reportedly called Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg demanding that he axe Ioffe, according to the book Media Madness by Howard Kurtz.
Goldberg reportedly shot back: “Haven’t you said some stupid s - - t in your life?” And Spicer returned, “I say stupid s - - t every day. I have never suggested anyone, much less a president, is f - - king his daughter.”
Kurtz added that ironically, “Spicer had guaranteed Ioffe’s employment . . . [Goldberg] couldn’t let an . . . administration tell him whom to hire or fire.”
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Iloffe’s tweet did, however, lead to the termination of her Politico contributor contract, The Washington Post‘s Erik Wemple reported at the time.
Trump has raised eyebrows in the past over sexually charged comments he’s made about his daughter. He once joked during a 2006 appearance on The View, “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.” And during a 2003 interview with Howard Stern, Trump said his daughter has “the best body.”