The White House correspondent for BuzzFeed News was fired on Wednesday amid allegations that he sent an “inappropriate message” to a colleague.

A spokesman for the website said BuzzFeed responded to a complaint filed last week and discovered that the reporter, Adrian Carrasquillo, had “violated” its code of conduct by sending the message.

“We are saddened by these circumstances, but we take these issues extremely seriously,” said the spokesman, Matt Mittenthal.

“We’re committed to ensuring that BuzzFeed remains a place where everyone is treated respectfully by his or her peers.”