During the off-the-record call, Ducklo made derogatory and misogynistic comments, accusing Palmeri of only reporting on his relationship—which, due to the ethics questions that factor into the relationship between a journalist and White House official, falls under the purview of her reporting beat—because she was “jealous” that an unidentified man in the past had “wanted to fuck” McCammond “and not you.” Ducklo also accused Palmeri of being “jealous” of his relationship with McCammond. (Palmeri had no prior relationship or communication with McCammond before calling her to report on the Playbook item, which was a story that she was assigned and had not independently pursued.)

Ducklo’s threats, spurring multiple conversations between the news outlet and senior-level officials on January 21, including White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, and Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn. In one of those calls, senior White House officials acknowledged that Ducklo’s handling of the call with Palmeri was inappropriate and said he would send a note to her apologizing for the comments. In another conversation, the same White House officials took aim at Palmeri by accusing her of breaking an off-the-record agreement with Ducklo and pressing Politico as to why the contents of the call had been revealed. Palmeri had only informed her editors of the contents of the call, which she had transcribed into her notes as it was happening, after they asked her about it.

A California man is suing Twitter and two progressive congresswomen in connection with President Donald Trump's suspension from the social media platform, citing "overbearing pain and suffering."

In the complaint filed in a U.S. District Court in California on Tuesday, Erik Estavillo argued that he and every "follower that was, without a doubt, emotionally and mentally damaged as a result of the Presidents' ban" is entitled to $88.7 million each.

Estavillo, who is representing himself, is also seeking the reinstatement of Trump's account and a retaliatory Twitter ban on Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, who, he argues, promote "Eastern communist philosophies."

The plaintiff claims that because of various health problems, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Crohn's syndrome, Estavillo has "no friends" and can rarely leave the house. As a result, the complaint says, he heavily relies on Twitter to participate in political discourse.