When it rains, it pours. Vice President Kamala Harris continues to hemorrhage staffers, and major ones at that. As Tyler Pager of The Washington Post was the first to report, Tina Flournoy, who is the vice president's chief of staff, will soon be leaving, for what the White House is saying amounts to personal reasons. She'll be replaced by Lorraine Voles. This announcement comes just weeks after it was shared that Harris' deputy chief of staff Michael Fuchs was also leaving.
Additionally, Symone Sanders, who was previously Harris' chief spokesperson and advisor, whose departure was announced last December. Hours later, Peter Velz, director of press operations, and Vince Evans, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in the vice president’s office were reported to also be leaving. Last November, it was reported that her communications director, Ashley Etienne, was leaving.
What could it be? Previous reports, which have used anonymous sources, have indicated that Harris is incredibly difficult to work for. In addition to the mentions of all those departures in Pager's article, normally friendly outlets, such as The Washington Post in previous pieces, as well as CNN, have taken aim at Harris.
Pager's reporting all offers another perspective on these departures:
Flournoy’s departure is likely to revive career-long questions about Harris’s management style and the high frequency of staff turnover in her offices and on her campaigns. The move comes at a critical moment, since the upcoming midterm elections, especially if Democrats suffer losses as expected, could clarify whether President Biden will seek reelection and prompt renewed attention on Harris as an alternative.
Flournoy’s departure is likely to revive career-long questions about Harris’s management style and the high frequency of staff turnover in her offices and on her campaigns. The move comes at a critical moment, since the upcoming midterm elections, especially if Democrats suffer losses as expected, could clarify whether President Biden will seek reelection and prompt renewed attention on Harris as an alternative.
“Tina has been a critical member of the White House team since day one, working with the President and Vice President to make their partnership effective and help the administration deliver on critical priorities,” Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “Her experience, wisdom, and hard work have been instrumental to our success on many issues.”
Still, the high turnover in Harris’s office stands in stark contrast to the West Wing, where Biden’s inner circle has remained in place throughout his presidency — and much of his decades-long career.
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Harris, the first female, Black and Asian woman to serve as vice president, has often attracted more attention than others who have held her position, including reporters tasked with chronicling her movements and tracking her polling numbers. She has at times struggled to navigate her role as she has taken on a wide-ranging and difficult portfolio, including voting rights, the root causes of migration from Central America, maternal health care and space policy.
It's always about sexism and racism with the Left, with it always to be mentioned how Harris is the first Black and Asian vice president, as well as the first woman vice president.
It's worth highlighting that Pager's reporting closes with the mention that Harris may run for president in 2024 if President Joe Biden does not. This comes even after Biden has stated numerous times, to numerous people, that he intends to run for re-election. The Washington Post has speculated on another 2024 Democratic nominee for months, however.
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