Gov. Janet Mills’ (D-Maine) Chief of Staff, Jeremy Kennedy, swore at White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Alex Meyers on Saturday, according to a Daily Wire report, and stormed off after Meyers called on Maine to keep men out of women’s sports.
“When Meyer told them that Maine needs to follow the law and protect women’s sports, Gov. Janet Mills’ chief of staff Jeremy Kennedy exclaimed “Fuck you, you asshole,” and stormed out of the room, I’m told by a senior White House official,” said Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on X.
The outlet cited an unnamed senior White House official as its source. An unspecified spokesman for Gov. Mills, likely either Anthony Ronzio, her director of communications, or Ben Goodman, her press secretary, contacted The Daily Wire to contradict its reporting.
“Jeremy did not say those words. He did not engage in profanity,” Mills’ spokesman told The Daily Wire.
On Sunday, the National Governors Association (NGA) reached out to the outlet to corroborate the Mills Administration’s claim, arguing that Kennedy, the former director of advocacy for Planned Parenthood in Maine, did not use any profanity when addressing Meyers.
Notably, the statements refuting Olohan’s initial report focused on Kennedy’s alleged use of profanity and did not deny that an argument took place or that he stormed off.
Despite the denials, Maine House Republican Leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) issued a scathing statement criticizing Kennedy for his alleged conduct on this occasion and highlighting a pattern of similar behavior.
“While this recent outburst is now public, it highlights a troubling pattern of intimidation and unprofessional conduct from Kennedy, whose actions have consistently displayed arrogance and recklessness. This is not the first time his behavior has raised concern,” said Rep. Faulkingham.
“As the Governor’s chief of staff, who is married to Democrat House Majority Leader Matt Moonen [D-Portland], Jeremy Kennedy wields significant power as an unelected bureaucrat, with seemingly no checks on his conduct,” he added.
Faulkingham highlighted a letter he submitted to Mills in late January, demanding that the governor address the “inappropriate” conduct Kennedy allegedly exhibited during an interaction with Republican staffers.
“Respectful communication is fundamental to maintaining productive relationships among different branches of government. Disparaging remarks made in a professional setting can create an environment of hostility and division, which ultimately hampers our collective ability to serve the public effectively,” said Faulkingham in his earlier letter.
The January letter does not specify the nature of Kennedy’s comments at that time.
The latest Kennedy controversy is a continuation of the growing feud between the Mills Administration and President Donald Trump. The feud began on Thursday when President Trump publicly called out Mills for refusing to comply with his executive order removing federal education funding from states that continue to allow males to compete in girls’ sports.
“Well you better do it, [comply with the order], you better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And, by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports,” said Trump.
Gov. Mills has vowed to take legal action to fight the loss of federal dollars, rather than siding with the vast majority of voters of both parties who do not believe men belong in women’s sports.
On Friday, Mills put out a statement in response to the news that the Maine Department of Education has come under investigation for an alleged Title IX discrimination lawsuit for discriminating against women by allowing men into their sports.
“No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold Federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will. It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws, which I took an oath to uphold,” said Mills.
She suggested that, after Trump finishes removing transgender-identifying males from women’s sports, he will begin using federal force to persecute various religious and racial groups.
“Who and what will he target next, and what will he do? Will it be you? Will it be because of your race or your religion? Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end? In America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it,” said Mills.
