Tag: hypocrisy

Robert De Niro’s London Nobu Restaurant Took Coronavirus Relief Program Loans

Despite being worth an estimated $500 million, actor Robert De Niro took coronavirus money from the government to pay for expenses at his various restaurants across the globe, including his London-based luxury restaurant Nobu.

The Daily Mail reported on De Niro’s expensive London eatery, Nobu, to which celebrities flock when they are in the U.K.’s capital city. According to the paper, the 77-year-old star took enough government relief money to cover 80 percent of the high-end restaurant’s operating costs. U.K. government officials revealed the award of coronavirus relief money to De Niro’s restaurant.

The government report notes: “The restaurant has been closed since March 21, 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.K., and reopened on May 6, 2020, to operate in providing a limited restaurant service that can be operated by the company under the recommended health and safety guidelines imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic such as food take away service.”

Nobu told the government that it expected “a significant decrease in profitability due to materially reduced revenues in 2020.”

John O’Connell, the CEO of the watchdog group Taxpayers’ Alliance, reminded readers that the relief money, while helpful to struggling companies, “ultimately comes from taxpayers, and support should only be sought if it’s really needed.”

Keep reading

White House defends not firing deputy press secretary over sexist comments to reporter

The White House has defended not firing its deputy press secretary after he made sexist comments to a reporter who was working on a story.

TJ Ducklo was suspended for one week without pay after a Vanity Fair report revealed he threatened and made sexist comments to Politico reporter Tara Palmeri – who was working on a story about his romantic relationship with another reporter.

“We felt it was a serious punishment,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, during a press briefing on Friday.

In the interaction, Mr Ducklo said he would “destroy her” if she published a story. He went on to make misogynistic comments about Ms Palmeri and claim she was “jealous” about his relationship with Alexi McCammond – who was pulled by Axios from the Biden beat in November after disclosing her relationship.

Keep reading