On Monday, in the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris’ disastrous visit to Poland, it was reported that her National Security Adviser Nancy McEldowney, will become the latest staffer to leave Harris’ office.
According to Reuters, McEldowney, who advised not only Harris but also President Biden on foreign affairs including Afghanistan, Iran, and Ukraine, wrote in an internal memo that she was quitting in order to “focus on some pressing personal matters,” adding, “This was a difficult decision because I am so deeply committed to the work we do and the crucial national interest we serve. But after more than a year, this is the right decision for my family.”
Reuters noted McEldowney cautioned she was not “not rushing out the door.”
10? Her office has a higher turnover rate than Taco Bell.https://t.co/t3Q0A5lfiT
— What Fresh Hell Is This? (@bingfair2) March 21, 2022
McEldowney’s announced departure follows on the heels of Harris’ Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, who revealed last week she was leaving. In February, Kate Childs Graham, the head of Harris’ speechwriting team, quit.
CNN pointed out, “Last year, communications director Ashley Etienne and press secretary Symone Sanders announced they would be vacating their positions. Those departures were followed by the exits of two additional staffers in the new year.”
Last June, after Harris’ trip to Central America, Harris’ Director of Advance Karly Satkowiak and Deputy Director of Advance Gabrielle DeFranceschi, also quit. Rajan Kaur, Harris’ director of digital strategies, quit in July.
“The shakeup of the vice president’s press team comes under the direction of new communications director Jamal Simmons,” The Daily Mail reported. “The reset came as both the president and vice president sought to step up public engagement to battle low poll numbers.”
When she spoke in Poland, Harris displayed her vast knowledge of geography as she initially described herself on the “northern flank” of the NATO alliance.
KAMALA HARRIS: "I am here, standing here on the northern flank, on the eastern flank, talking about what we have in terms of the eastern flank and our NATO allies, and what is at stake at this very moment, what is at stake this very moment are some of the guiding principles…" pic.twitter.com/QOsMKRTRsQ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 10, 2022
Harris stated, “I am here, standing here on the northern flank, on the eastern flank, talking about what we have in terms of the eastern flank and our NATO allies, and what is at stake at this very moment, what is at stake this very moment are some of the guiding principles around the NATO alliance.”
Poland is on the eastern flank of the NATO alliance, which is comprised of 30 members: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, The United Kingdom, and the United States.
Of those countries, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Norway are all north of Poland. Lithuania is north of Poland, Latvia is north of Lithuania, Estonia is north of Latvia, and Norway extends much farther north than any of them, even crossing into the Arctic Circle.
During a press conference from that same trip to Poland, after being asked if the U.S. would set aside space for Ukrainian refugees to immigrate to America, Harris laughed.
.@VP Harris awkwardly starts laughing when asked about the Ukrainian refugee crisis pic.twitter.com/SIHhiLbK6X
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 10, 2022