African Journalist Announces Legal Action Against White House Correspondents Association: ‘Pray for Me’

An African journalist who irritates White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre with her questions is fighting back after being barred from joining the White House Correspondents Association.

Journalist Simon Ateba, who covers the White House for Today News Africa, announced on twitter he would sue the group “because they made false claims against me and my company and didn’t follow their own membership rules.”

“I will fight with all my might, because when they sit in the meeting room and collect salaries, they do not know that there are people like me who create companies from scratch. Please pray for me,” he wrote.

I decided to sue the White House Correspondents Association. @whca because they made false claims against me and my company and didn’t follow their membership rules. From now on, I will let my lawyer talk about the case, but I will fight like… pic.twitter.com/sEnzaKDHh3

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 4, 2023

In a separate tweethe told more of the story.

“Today is a dark day for press freedom in the United States of America. The forces of evil, who felt humiliated, expelled me from the White House Correspondents Association,” he wrote.

“The removal was approved by one journalist named @tamarakeithNPR, who is the president of the WHCA and works for donor and taxpayer funded NPR. They said that I had no money and could not be a WHCA member. They also lied in their letter and did not follow their own membership rules. May God forgive them,” he wrote.

He included what he said was a message from WHCA Executive Director Stephen Thomma saying that after Ateba applied, he was asked for more information that he did not provide. Then Ateba’s application was rejected.

Today is a black day for press freedom in the United States of America. The forces of evil, who felt humiliated, expelled me from the White House Correspondents Association. The removal was approved by one journalist named @tamarakeithNPR WHO pic.twitter.com/2grSfnbwh2

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 4, 2023

“Furthermore, the committee has noted repeated instances where your behavior violated the membership expectations set out in our bylaws, which were detailed to you earlier,” an email is quoted in which Tomma said after writing that Ateba’s membership fees will be returned.

IN follow-up tweetAteba noted that he was not going to leave.

“I would like to make clear to my followers that I will still be covering the @WhiteHouse briefings, I am simply not allowed to be part of the elite club – @WHCA – that gives more access. WHCA does not provide access to the People’s House. The White House belongs to the American people, rich and poor, famous or not. They can send you there and fire you after four years if they want,” he wrote.

“I also decided to sue President Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for discrimination against me in the White House,” he said. wrote.

Attacked pirates in the Gulf of Guinea with an AK47 to my head, kidnapped in Nigeria, abandoned in the woods and left for dead, arrested in Cameroon during an investigation, and held in a dark cell only to be sidelined in the White House. That’s how Tucker Carlson introduced me to America. pic.twitter.com/bOLujRzKfi

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) January 14, 2023

On his Twitter account, Ateba posted months of support for his battle with the Biden White House from Tucker Carlson of Fox News, who called Ateba “the best-known and pretty much the best reporter in all of Africa.” And this means that Karine Jean-Pierre does not want to talk to him at all. She didn’t call him for over four months. Now the White House is saying that Karine Jean-Pierre will not meet Simon Ateba until next year, which means, of course, never.”

In December, Jean-Pierre fumed after Ateba tried to ask a question about an upcoming high-level meeting between President Joe Biden and African leaders. Then, angry at Ateba, she closed her information book and left the room.

They also clashed in November when Ateba tried to question the origins of COVID-19 but was stymied by Jean-Pierre, according to a transcript of a White House meeting.

“Every time you turn to the same people,” Ateba said at the time.

“You… you are disrespectful to your colleagues and disrespectful to our guests. I won’t call you if you scream, she said.

“Simon, I’m done. I’m done with you right now,” she said, later telling him, “you’re taking your co-workers’ time.”

This article originally appeared in The Western Journal.

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