Allegheny County’s communications director has been pulled off duty after a social media video surfaced in which she appeared to tell a Pittsburgh radio host to “smoke a pack on a bridge and then jump.”
The official, Abigail Gardner, was placed on administrative leave Monday. She later apologized on Instagram, calling the remark “a tasteless comment out of frustration” and saying she regretted the lapse in judgment. County officials say she will remain on leave while they review what happened.
According to WTAE, the short Instagram clip was aimed at Pittsburgh radio personality Colin Dunlap and included the “smoke a pack on a bridge and then jump” line. The station reports that the video led the county to put Gardner on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, and notes that the administration has formally opened a review into the incident. WTAE also published the text of Gardner’s apology.
In that Instagram statement, Gardner wrote, “I made a tasteless comment out of frustration, and I apologize for my lapse in judgment,” as reported by WTAE.
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Background: County And Local Radio Tensions
The dustup is unfolding against a backdrop of strained relations between the county executive’s office and some local talk-radio voices. As detailed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, disputes involving Dunlap and county staff have flared in recent months. That history has added extra heat to a video that might otherwise have stayed inside political circles.
Who Is Abigail Gardner?
Gardner serves as Allegheny County’s director of communications and has been the public voice for several initiatives backed by County Executive Sara Innamorato. The county’s key-staff directory lists her as a senior communications official and provides her contact information for media inquiries. Allegheny County identifies her as part of the executive office’s top staff.
What Comes Next
County leaders have not offered a public timeline for the internal review or indicated what kind of discipline, if any, Gardner could face. For now, she remains on administrative leave while the administration works through its personnel review process.
