Hack Politico Reporter Who Smeared Pope Benedict After His Death Is Out of a Job

The day after the former, December 31, 2022 Pope Benedict XVI diedEric Geller, then-Politico journalist, wrote the following in a now-deleted Tweet “Homophobic pedophile protector and Hitler Youth alumnus dead at 95.” Geller now appears to have been fired or left his job in Politico.

John Hasson tweeted Wednesday, “Did Politico fire Eric Geller for smearing Benedict XVI? His Twitter bio no longer references Politico.” Hasson attached screengrabs from Geller’s bio, before and after his Pope tweet. Afterward, any mention of Politico was removed. 

Geller’s bio had previously stated that he was “a cybersecurity reporter at Politico” Then it was a “cybersecurity journalist in Washington, D.C.”

Later, Hasson wrote on Twitter. “Update: It appears Eric Geller either left Politico or he was fired. In either event, I’m glad to hear he’s gone and hope he does some soul-searching in the meantime.”

LinkedIn profile of Geller His job at Politico was terminated in January 2023, as reflected by the inscription.

Geller wrote after the backlash that he had deleted his December 31 tweet and that he was now deleting it. “I deleted the tweet about Pope Benedict that was offensive and in poor judgment.”

The Daily Mail has the following reports Brad Dayspring was Politico’s vice-president of marketing and communications. He declined to comment.

Dayspring responded via Twitter on December 31 and mentioned Geller’s tweet. “Yes. The tweet is a clear violation of our social media policy and was both inaccurate and offensive.”

Dayspring was added “Violations of company policy—including the social media policy—are subject to an internal review process” “Without commenting further on this specific matter (as it is under review), violations of company policy could result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”

Ellen Carmichael tweeted, “Just here to correct the record as Mr. Geller goes on a smearing spree,” A screengrab was posted that clarifies the Pope’s biography.

Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger’s family opposed the Nazis, which led to prolonged harassment. Ratzinger, then 14, was conscripted into Hitler youth as it was required by the regime.