Kamala Harris a 'bully', says ex staffer as more quit over her 'soul destroying' ways
In the latest damaging expose, Vice President Kamala Harris has been branded a "bully" who is "not willing to do the prep and the work" but always ready to inflict "constant-soul destroying criticism" on her office staff.
Eighteen people connected to the VP spoke to the Washington Post, amid confirmed departures of two high-level staffers, claiming that Harris failed to read briefings they'd prepared but ended up turning on them if she was branded unprepared by the media. "It's clear that you're not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work," a former colleague told the Washington Post. "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."
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VP was 'repeating the same old destructive patterns'
These claims from the VP's staff came as two more members of her team are said to be heading for the door too. Gil Duran, who worked with Harris in 2013 for five months before quitting, said the vice president was "repeating the same old destructive patterns."
Writing in his San Francisco Examiner column, he said: "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." Speaking to the Post, he added: "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."
'Key members of Harris' orbit' are 'eyeing the exits'
Less than a year into her vice presidency, even more "key members of Harris' orbit" are "eyeing the exits," people familiar with the conversations told Politico. Among the four staffers who are leaving is one of the vice president's closest aides Symone Sanders and communications director Ashley Etienne. Sanders is the senior adviser and chief spokesperson of VP's team. White House officials have maintained that both these departures were long-planned and did not prove that VP's office was dealing with internal chaos.
Peter Velz, director of press operations, and Vince Evans, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, are also reportedly leaving, as they have confessed as much to others in the vice president's office, administration officials told the Washington Post. In the future, they are expected to remain in the administration or take jobs in close coordination with the White House.
According to Axios, Harris' staff are leaving because they're burned out. They are aware of the fact that there are better opportunities elsewhere and they don't want to be permanently branded a "Harris person." "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," Duran told the Post.
Harris' poll ratings have tanked
In the face of a rocky first year as vice president, riddled with project failures like handling the southern border crisis and the reported tension between her and the Bidens, Harris' poll ratings have tanked. However, Harris has hit back at claims she is being misused as vice president and dismissed her low approval ratings which plummeted to 28% in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of registered voters earlier this month.
"Polls, they go up, they go down," Harris said in an interview last month. "But I think what is most important is that we remain consistent with what we need to do to deal with the issues that we're presented with at this moment."
