White House Unmasks, Fires Obnoxious Tweeter
The White House has tracked down a popular, trash-tweeting “mole” and taken appropriate action: fired the jerk.
A senior White House official who was helping negotiate nuclear issues with Iran has been fired after being unmasked as the acidic voice behind a Twitter account known for its insults of public figures at the White House and on Capitol Hill, a government official said on Tuesday.
Jofi Joseph was director of nuclear non-proliferation on the White House National Security Council staff, but for more than two years sent hundreds of anonymous and abrasive tweets using the handle @NatSecWonk.
He was fired last week after he was caught, the official said.
A White House official confirmed Joseph no longer worked there, but would not comment on personnel matters. The firing was first reported by the website Daily Beast.
In his Twitter biography, now removed from the social networking site, Joseph described himself as a “keen observer of the foreign policy and national security scene” who “unapologetically says what everyone else only thinks.”
As the widely followed @NatSecWonk, Joseph speculated anonymously about the political motives and career moves of administration officials he worked with.
And, of course, he now admits he is very, very sorry:
A senior National Security Council staffer who was a key member of the White House team negotiating on Iran’s nuclear weapons program told POLITICO he deeply regrets tweeting hundreds of anti-administration messages under the pseudonym @natsecwonk.
Jofi Joseph, 40, was fired from his job on the NSC nuclear non-proliferation team a week ago after a months-long probe into a barrage of tweets that included caustic criticisms of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and top NSC officials, especially Ben Rhodes – whom he accused of dodging questions about Benghazi.
“It has been a privilege to serve in this Administration and I deeply regret violating the trust and confidence placed in me,” Joseph told POLITICO in an email.
“What started out as an intended parody account of DC culture developed over time into a series of inappropriate and mean-spirited comments. I bear complete responsibility for this affair and I sincerely apologize to everyone I insulted.”
“[I]ntended parody account.” Riiiight. Just like Alex Jones is terrestrial radio’s most unimpeachable source for unbiased news and information.
DelawareOnline.com reports that Joseph had been an aide to then-senator Joe Biden.
