Vice President Mike Pence's new press secretary is a UF alumna. She is also known for helping steal more than 200 copies of The Alligator.
When Katie Waldman was a UF student, she pursued a degree in what is now food and resource economics, served as a UF Student Government senator and held a position as chairwoman of the allocations committee. Waldman will begin her new position Oct. 1.
While in SG, Waldman was associated with Unite Party. On Feb. 20, 2012, the night before the Spring SG elections, she was seen throwing away copies of the paper alongside former Senate President Pro-Tempore Jason Tiemeier, according to the Student Press Law Center. The paper featured an endorsement from head football coach Will Muschamp for a student of an opposing party.
So, the pair threw away 268 copies.
“Contrary to any implication, I didn’t do it,” Waldman said during a March 2012 SG Senate meeting. “I counseled Jason not to do it. He agreed. I thought I acted very responsibly.”
Tiemeier initially dismissed accusations of being involved in throwing away the papers. On March 12, 2012, Tiemeier wrote a guest column in The Alligator apologizing to the Student Body for stealing the papers with Waldman.
Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short told NBC News that they are excited to welcome Waldman to the team, saying he believes she will be a “great fit in our office.”
Contact Alyssa Feliciano at afeliciano@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @alyssashantelle.
Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump's White House senior adviser, left, and Katie Waldman arrive for a State Dinner with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Trump at the White House, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
