Milwaukee assistant city attorney Jennifer DeMaster who backed Putin on Russia Today TV is fired

The Milwaukee assistant city attorney who last week backed Russian President Vladimir Putin in an appearance on Russia Today TV and who previously worked for anti-Islamic "hate groups" is out of a job.

City Attorney Tearman Spencer's termination notice to the city's Department of Employee Relations on Monday cited only "Job performance. Poor fit." as the reason to end Jennifer DeMaster's employment with the office. The notice did not contain additional details, and neither DeMaster nor Spencer immediately responded to requests for comment Monday.

Assistant City Attorney Nicholas Zales also had his employment in the office terminated Monday, according to Department of Employee Relations Director Makda Fessahaye. That notice cites only "job performance" as the reason.

A voicemail left at a phone number listed as associated with Zales and a message through LinkedIn were not immediately returned.

Both were on a probationary status, Fessahaye said.

"I am not aware of anyone else being terminated during probation in the City Attorney's Office during my tenure," said Fessahaye, who was confirmed to her position in January 2021.

Spencer hired DeMaster and Zales after a major exodus of attorneys from his office, with some citing a "toxic work environment" under the relatively new city attorney. Spencer was elected in April 2020.

The two attorneys were hired last year and worked in the litigation division, which had struggled to meet court deadlines due to the staffing shortage. The division typically handles cases in state and federal court.

In her position at the city, DeMaster made $71,780 per year, and online court records showed she had very limited court experience.

DeMaster's history drew condemnation from advocacy and religious leaders at the local and national levels, as did the urging from Spencer's top deputy that staff have "an open mind" to DeMaster.

Of particular concern to those groups was her past work for the Clarion Project, a group that has been labeled one the major proponents of Islamophobia in the United States, and before that for the American Center for Law and Justice, where as a law clerk she prepped attorneys on "Sharia law (and) radical Islamic ideology," according to a resume she filed in federal court.

She also wrote "Babylon Unveiled," a book in which she argued that Islam is not a peaceful religion.

Spencer did not acknowledge the groups' call for him to fire DeMaster.

And last week, as Russia was on the brink of attacking Ukraine, she went on the television network controlled by the Russian state to argue that Putin was within his rights to recognize two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and deploy troops to the area.

DeMaster told Russia Today Putin did nothing wrong by recognizing two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and then deploying troops there.

"When people like Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken of the U.S. or (British Prime Minister) Boris Johnson or others or (President) Joe Biden come out and say this is a clear violation of international law, that's simply not true. It is not a clear violation of international law because they cannot name an international law that this violates."

DeMaster also told Russia Today, which is owned and controlled by Russia, that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine had no impact on American security.

"There's no threat to U.S. national security," said DeMaster, who was listed as a "legal analyst" in the broadcast. "We have lots of issues going on right here at home that are, in effect, a danger to national security."

It was not her first time on Russia Today, where she has made dozens of appearances as an expert on everything from American foreign policy to Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee assistant attorney who backed Putin on Russia Today is fired