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Today News Africa reporter Simon Ateba slammed White House communications as a "disgrace" after press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre allegedly refused to field his questions in the briefing room.
As the cast of Ted Lasso joined White House communications to speak about mental health on Monday (March 20), Ateba interrupted the briefing, accusing Jean-Pierre of discrimination.
"You're making a mockery of the First Amendment," Ateba yelled out. "It's been seven months and you have not called on me. You've been discriminating against me and discrimination against some people in the briefing."
Ateba doubled down on his stance against the Biden communications team in an interview on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
"It's a shame what happened to me today. It's a total disgrace," Ateba told Carlson. "The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, the press and assembly, and the right to petition your government to seek redress. And that First Amendment says that I have the right to ask a question to do my job and the press secretary doesn't need to like me."
"[She] doesn't need to like me, date me, marry me... have two Black children with me," he continued. "She doesn't need all that. She doesn't even need to like my accent, doesn't need to like what I look like [or] where I come from."
Ateba has received multiple complaints and warnings from the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) about his decorum in the briefing room. Fellow reporters have also been critical of his behavior.
"What happened today created a hostile work environment for everyone in that room," WHCA President Tamara Keith wrote to fellow reporters on Monday about the "extreme breakdown of decorum."
However, Ateba believes the White House doesn't "respect" him as a reporter.
"I'm black, I'm African, I don't have money, they look down on me. I don't have the opportunities they have. And they don't treat me the same way," Ateba told Carlson on Monday.
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