Simon Ateba, Today News Africa’s White House reporter, is pursuing legal action against White House press secretary Katrine Jean-Pierre over claims she discriminated against him during press conferences.
“I have also decided to take legal action against President Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for discrimination against me in the White House. My lawyer will be the one to also talk about this case here or when we appear on television to discuss the case,” Ateba announced on Twitter Friday.
He is also suing the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) due to “made false claims against me and my company and did not abide by their own membership guidelines.”
“I will fight like hell because as they sit in the briefing room collecting salaries, they don’t know there are people like me who build companies from scratch. Pray for me,” Ateba added.
Ateba explained how WHCA removed him from their association due to claims he “did not follow their own membership guidelines.” An application to join the association was denied because “the committee noted repeated instances where your behavior violated the expectations for membership outlined in our bylaws,” Ateba said WHCA Executive Director Steven Thomma wrote to him in an email.
I have decided to take legal action against the White House Correspondents Association @whca since they made false claims against me and my company and did not abide by their own membership guidelines. From now on, I will let my lawyer talk about the case but I will fight like… https://t.co/cWrbFjMr7Z pic.twitter.com/sEnzaKDHh3
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 4, 2023
Today is a dark day for freedom of the press in the United States of America. The forces of evil who felt belittled have removed me from the White House Correspondents Association. The removal had the approval of one journalist called @tamarakeithNPR who https://t.co/ku6YlLJ9km… https://t.co/6sCa9iKgeT pic.twitter.com/2grSfnbwh2
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 4, 2023
In December 2022, Ateba raised concerns he had with Katrine Jean-Pierre that made his work life a “nightmare.”
“There’s a reason why your show is the most watched show in news in the U.S. Because you bring people like me. It’s been a disaster, a total catastrophe, a real nightmare covering the Biden White House,” Ateba told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
Ateba explained how he was a prominent voice for Africa in the U.S. but alleged there is an “astounding” and “disgraceful” amount of “discrimination against me and against African journalists in the White House.”
The journalist claimed he, at the time, had not been able to ask Pierre a question for three months. Ateba believes Pierre discriminated against him because of his ethnicity and accent. “I believe that it has to do with maybe two or three things. The first thing, I sound different. I wasn’t born here. I was born in Cameroon. I speak French. I speak different languages. I don’t have the American accent. I’ve tried. I’ve failed and I’ve decided I’ll stick with my accent.”
The former WHCA member also suggested his questions about COVID-19 and illegal immigration may lead to Pierre’s disdain for him.
WATCH:
Attacked by pirates on the Gulf of Guinea with an AK47 to my head, kidnapped in Nigeria, dumped in the woods & left for dead, arrested in Cameroon during investigation & kept in dark cell only to be sidelined at the White House. This is how Tucker Carlson introduced me to America pic.twitter.com/bOLujRzKfi
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) January 14, 2023
This has been on-going for a few months. JKP is a worthless POS, and should be replaced! Tarantula hair is a lying skank!
To be fair, when the reporters are waiting in the White House to have KJP appear – they should reach in a hat and pull out a # – – Whatever # they get, that IS the order in which they proceed. Then among them, they will have to work together (like it used to be) and decide who has the BEST questions. So instead of hearing 20 questions, all just worded differently, we the People get 1 question on THAT topic. The reporters would be required to be Professional, Work Together, Come Together and Put the Best Questions ahead of anything else – – – Like it used to be! SAME with asking Biden questions, do they really think Screaming LOUDER than the person next to you is professional? I despise Biden but I don’t blame him from walking away and telling the pack of human wolves to get “manners”. Again, draw Straws or something and allow the “Winners” to go first and respectfully ask questions in a civilized manner. Eventually every reporter does get their chance and no one can claim “Discrimination” and the WH doesn’t get to Cherry-Pick reporters either. The WH will have to answer the #’s no matter WHO is asking them. So it keeps it REAL and BALANCED and…..drum roll…..their favorite thing now….EQUITABLE. None of them are professional and to talk over one another, hardly represents a civilized society. But this would also dupe Biden from being able to only call on whatever reports the note card in front of him states….so he is given an EASY Peasy question that they wrote the proper answer down for him ahead of time. Keeps everyone HONEST – – that’ll be a first in the Biden Administration.
Drawing straws is not possible since none of the reporters have any “say” in who will be called on or in what order the reporters go 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. It’s all predetermined before KJP and WH staff walk out onto the floor/stage. Brandon’s admin makes all of those decisions behind closed doors. The reporters yelling usually are those who weren’t allowed to ask any questions. They are desperate to be noticed before Brandon’s people go back through that entry/exit door. They yell, hoping that the subject they are tossing out at Brandon’s staff will be important enough to make them pause to give an answer.
Good for this man. You can not let them get away with their discrimination. The party of brain dead people. Do you think this Jean-Pierre know what she is doing. You are too smart for her. We are all behind you.