Continuing a Monitor tradition, the outgoing White House press secretary – in this case Jen Psaki – stops by for breakfast and a few thoughts on what it’s like to be in politics at this moment.

The life of a White House press secretary isn’t easy. Reporters coming at you at all hours for answers, asking the same questions over and over. The fear that you’ll be caught off guard by a question, live on television. The nonstop ferreting out of answers from inside the White House – essentially, being a reporter yourself – so that you fully understand an issue and can explain it to the public.

But for Jen Psaki, who finishes her 16-month stint as White House press secretary on Friday, the hardest part for her personally, she says, is the threats.

“I have had nasty letters, texts to me with my personal address, the names of my children. It crosses lines, you know, and that’s when it becomes a little scary,” says Ms. Psaki, speaking to reporters Thursday at a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor.

While protesters haven’t shown up at her house, as has been happening to Supreme Court justices this week over the abortion issue, Ms. Psaki says the threats have become common – and alarming. In some cases, she’s had to share information with the Secret Service.