In the midst of frequent stories currently circulating about the unhappiness of staffers working for Vice President Kamala Harris, one disenchanted former staffer for Harris harshly criticized her, telling The Washington Post, “It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work.”
The staffer continued, “With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully and it’s not really clear why.”
The Post noted that chief Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders said last summer, “We are not making rainbows and bunnies all day.” She added, “What I hear is that people have hard jobs and I’m like ‘welcome to the club,’” but she is leaving her job “because she is ready for a break after three years of the relentless pressure that came with speaking for and advising Biden and Harris …”
“People used to putting aside missteps, sacrificing sleep and enduring the occasional tirade from an irate boss say doing so under Harris can be particularly difficult, as she has struggled to make progress on her vice-presidential portfolio or measure up to the potential that has many pegging her as the future of the Democratic Party,” The Post opined.
Gil Duran, a former Harris aide who worked for her in 2013 for five months before quitting, echoed to the Post, “One of the things we’ve said in our little text groups among each other is what is the common denominator through all this and it’s her. … Who are the next talented people you’re going to bring in and burn through and then have (them) pretend they’re retiring for positive reasons.”
According to one report, “Concern about being permanently branded a ‘Harris person’” is one of the reasons staffers are considering leaving Harris, as they don’t want to be seen as being aligned with her in case another Democratic candidate decides to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.
“[S]ome Harris staffers want to work on Biden’s reelection campaign, while others don’t want to be aligned with Harris in the event another promising Democrat runs for president in 2024,” Axios reported on Friday, adding, “There’s been an inordinate amount of disarray — and, now, turnover — throughout her tenure. Her allies say she has a terrific chance to reset and downplay the early stumbles. But top Biden officials privately roll their eyes at her team, and want to see smoother, more effective leadership.”
One “Democratic operative close to the vice president’s office” told Axios that the recent notices given by Harris’ chief spokesperson Symone Sanders and communications director Ashley Etienne that they were leaving puts pressure on Harris’ chief of staff, Tina Flournoy. The source purportedly told Axios, “If we mess this up, it’s going to set women back when it comes to running for higher office for years to come.”
The Daily Wire reported last Thursday, “Two more staffers are reportedly joining a growing exodus out of Vice President Kamala Harris’ office less than a year into her tenure. Peter Velz, Harris’ director of press operations, and Vince Evans, the vice president’s deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, are expected to vacate their positions in the vice president’s office soon for other positions in the Biden administration, according to The Washington Post.”