White House Correspondents’ Association: Michelle Wolf’s routine ‘not in the spirit’ of our mission

White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) President Margaret Talev on Sunday lamented that comedian Michelle Wolf’s routine during the organization’s annual dinner was “not in the spirit” of its mission.

Talev said in a statement late Sunday that she has heard from members of the association that Wolf’s performance did not reflect well on the WHCA’s efforts to celebrate journalism and the First Amendment.

“Last night’s program was meant to offer a unifying message about our common commitment to a vigorous and free press while honoring civility, great reporting and scholarship winners, not to divide people,” Talev said.

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“Unfortunately, the entertainer’s monologue was not in the spirit of that mission.”

Talev said she and Olivier Knox, who will take over as WHCA president this summer, are open to suggestions on how to adjust the event’s format moving forward.

Wolf caused an uproar in Washington on Saturday after she delivered a searing 20-minute set at the annual gala that took aim at President Trump, Vice President Pence, Ivanka Trump, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and others.

She mocked the media for benefiting off of Trump’s rise, and jabbed at Democrats for their lack of electoral success.

Her comments proved divisive among journalists. Some joined conservative commentators in voicing that Wolf went too far, particularly in her jokes aimed at Sanders.

Celebrities and a number of other journalists have defended Wolf, arguing that she did what she was hired to do in roasting the current administration. Others pointed out that the president has made vulgar remarks and pushed conspiracy theories without apologizing. 

Some have called on Talev and Wolf to apologize to Sanders in particular for the jokes made at her expense, but neither has apologized.