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Who is Jamal Simmons? Kamala Harris's new comms director forced to apologize on DAY ONE

Harris has appointed Simmons as communications director and hopes his entrance will come as the much-needed boon for the vice president's office

Jamal Simmons, Kamala Harris' newly appointed communications director was forced to apologize for one of his past tweets on the very first day of his job.

Since her disastrous border trip on June 25, seven staffers have ended up quitting the VP's administration, and with her approval rating at a dire 32 percent, a serious overhaul of Harris' office was required and Simmons is the first leg of that change. Simmons will join the team after communications director Ashley Etienne and chief spokesperson took their leave in November and December 2021, respectively. Biden's White House is hoping that Simmons' entrance will come as a much-needed boon for the vice president's office as he is said to be widely respected in Democratic circles. 

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Biden has tasked Harris with focusing on the root causes of immigration, a red hot issue that Simmons has commented on previously in one of his many controversial tweets. "Just saw 2 undocumented folks talking on MSNBC. One Law student the other a protester. Can someone explain why ICE is not picking them up?" he tweeted back in 2010. He tried to put a lid on the matter on Friday, January 7, with a quick apology. "As a pundit I tweeted +spoke A LOT. At times, I've been sarcastic, unclear, or just plainly missed the mark. I apologize for offending [people] who care as much as I do about making America the best, multi-ethnic, diverse democracy," he wrote. "I'll help the Biden-Harris admin w/humility, sincerity+respect."

Who is Jamal Simmons?

Simmons is known to be a Democratic political analyst and operative with stints going back to the Bill Clinton administration. He formerly served as deputy communications director for Al Gore's presidential campaign. Simmons also worked as an aide to former Sen Bob Graham, (D-FL), former Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark and was chief of staff former Rep Carolyn Kilpatrick, (D-MI). As a result, he knows how to work the media and the cable news circuit. 

Simmons is expected to "really change things up," a source familiar with the move told The Hill. However, a barrage of controversial tweets he once posted may come back to haunt him including one where he ridiculed a "dazed and confused" Biden while describing a trip to Afghanistan. He also criticized former POTUS Donald Trump for pushing a "janky science vaccine."

In 2019, during an episode of his politics show for The Hill called 'Why You Should Care,' Simmons mocked Biden for the gaffe "We do this story about once a week!" he quipped. "It’s what you get with Uncle Joe." At the time he made the joke, the Democratic nomination was wide open. Simmons criticized the-then future president for getting key details of the story wrong, such as the timing, the province, and confusing an Army soldier with a Navy captain. "This is the God's truth, he says. 'My word as a Biden.' Turns out, it wasn't God's truth," Simmons said. 

Simmons also critiqued Harris' run for the oval office after she suspended her bid for the presidency. He said she "never quite got comfortable getting out of the pre-planned moments," and mocked her for failing to capitalize on her impassionate attack on Biden regarding bussing. The VP was also criticized by Simmons for botching her handling of Medicare for All during the primary.