NatSecWonk was, until a day or so ago, an anonymous Twitter account simultaneously beloved and feared in the national security community. It was simultaneously bracing and more than a little douchey, as likely to call people ugly as it was to make a pretty good point about Washington navel gazing. But now it’s gone, and since it’s actually run by a National Security director at the White House, it also just got its owner fired!
The owner in question, Jofi Joseph, basically just burned his career to the ground; he was going to be appointed to the Pentagon and was widely respected. At least until he admitted he’d called half of Washington ugly. He emailed this apology around:
It has been a privilege to serve in this Administration and I deeply regret violating the trust and confidence placed in me. 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.
Personally, I’m going to miss the account, although considering he got fired for leaking internal government information, I can’t say I’m surprised it got shut down. NatSecWonk hurt a lot of feelings, and his comments on looks were douchey, but he also did things like call out think tanks on their pretensions and appointees on their favoritism, stuff that most political news reporting won’t do, and he was fairly even-handed calling out reporters and government employees alike on their hackery. The bio said “Saying what other people think”, and to be honest, that’s actually pretty useful, especially in a city as occupied with itself as Washington D.C.
As it is, Joseph probably has a career in front of him as an analyst. And a Daily Show interview is probably inevitable; if nothing else, it might give him a chance to see if he’s got a career as a political comedian.
(Image courtesy of Matt Wade on Wikimedia Commons)
