A senior White House official is out of a job after he was exposed as the man behind the Twitter account known for its unabashed criticism of his employer.
For two years, @NatSecWonk regularly criticized lawmakers and White House officials. The tweets, snarky and often offensive, were popular inside the Beltway both on the left and right. (Via Euronews)
Tweets like, "Was Huma Abedin wearing beer goggles the night she met Anthony Weiner?" (Via ABC)
And, " ... when will someone do us the favor of getting rid of Sarah Palin and the rest of her white trash family?" (Via YouTube / The ACU)
It took some digging on the part The Daily Beast's Josh Rogin to discover the Twitter troll was Jofi Joseph — a director of nuclear non-proliferation at the White House working within the National Security Council. Rogin put two and two together after noticing Joseph was quietly fired about a week ago.
After it became clear whoever was operating the account had some inside knowledge, Politico reports officials at the White House and State department worked for months to figure out who it was.
They reportedly stepped up their efforts after the Twitter account began raising questions about the administration's response to the Benghazi attack. (Via CBS)
The investigation involved sifting through some 2,000 tweets and examining Joseph's travel and shopping patterns. (Via Gawker)
Joseph apologized in a statement given to Politico: "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 … "
With @NatSecWonk out of the picture, many on Twitter are pointing to this account, @DCHobbyist, known for its salacious gossip about the sex lives of politicians and asking if it's another Joseph moniker. He has declined to comment on the second account.
- See more at newsy.com.
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