President Biden’s trailblazing pick for his new press secretary is already being accused of creating troubling conflicts of interest because of her long-term relationship with star CNN reporter Suzanne Malveaux.
Karine Jean-Pierre — who next Friday will be both the first black and first openly gay person to hold the key White House post — lives with the network’s national correspondent in Washington, D.C., with their 7-year-old daughter.
The Haitian-born press pick gushed about their relationship in her 2019 memoir, “Moving Forward.”
“Most of all, I want to say that every word of this book was written with love for my partner, Suzanne Malveaux, and our daughter, Soleil Malveaux Jean-Pierre. You are my life,” she wrote, also thanking “the Malveaux family.”
While the groundbreaking pick was widely celebrated, it also left some questioning the pair’s impartiality, especially given CNN’s recent scandals, including now-axed host Chris Cuomo’s behind-the-scenes meddling in brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sex scandals.
“This is one of many examples of the corporate media LITERALLY in bed with the government it covers,” tweeted Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief of right-wing news outlet Breitbart.
He had already raised concerns about the couple’s relationship and its possible influence in his book, “Breaking the News: Exposing the Establishment Media’s Hidden Deals and Secret Corruption,” he noted.
A researcher also asked on Twitter, “What is the name of the Universe where this is not a Conflict of Interest?“
Juwan Holmes, the associate editor of LGBTQ Nation, said he has spent two years covering Jean-Pierre’s rise, insisting that “she’s the best person for the job.”
However, Holmes conceded that her relationship to Malveaux was bound to eventually spark accusations of conflict of interest.
“I’m sure there won’t be Cuomo-level conflict of interest violations but expect it to have it bought up in the future…” he said.
Malveaux, 55, has previously shared her partner’s major achievements.
Jean-Pierre, meanwhile, tweeted a thread for Pride last year detailing her brutal path to coming out and being accepted by her family while growing up in Queens.
“I came out to my Mom when I was 16 years old. The revolted look on her face sent me running back into the proverbial closet and slamming the door shut,” she wrote.
“After that, my sexuality became a family secret and it would stay that way for years,” she said, saying she “dated” but “hid those relationships from my family” until they “evolved to embrace” her.
“I’m proud to be an out Black Queer woman and I have been for quite some time,” she wrote.
“I’m happy to say, my Mother is now proud of ALL of who I am; she loves my partner and she loves being a doting grandmother to the daughter we are raising.”
