'She has a great, supportive team': White House stands by Harris amid staff mutiny
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The White House is standing behind Vice President Kamala Harris after reports said that her staff members believe they are treated like "s***."
"The vice president is an incredibly important partner to the president of the United States. She has a challenging job, a hard job, and she has a great, supportive team of people around her," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
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Psaki added reports this week were based on unnamed sources. While the whistleblowers did want to remain anonymous, roughly two dozen current and former aides, officials, and associates came forward to complain about poor morale, communication, and trust in Harris's office.
Many people attributed the problems to her chief of staff, Tina Flournoy. They claim that Flournoy has created a tense workplace with ineffective and noninclusive decision-making processes.
“People are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses, and it’s an abusive environment,” one source told Politico. “It’s not a healthy environment, and people often feel mistreated. It’s not a place where people feel supported but a place where people feel treated like s***.”
Psaki's remarks Friday amplify public comments from White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Biden senior adviser Cedric Richmond backing Harris. Richmond told Axios that the reports are "a whisper campaign designed to sabotage [Harris]."
Yet, the White House has had to grapple with a series of Harris missteps, including her response to a question about why she had not traveled south despite being one of Biden's top immigration officials.
"I haven’t been to Europe," she said last month. "I don’t understand the point that you’re making."
The White House has also sought to distance itself from Harris's other top legislative priority: voter access.
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"She actually asked to run point on voting rights. It's an issue that she is personally committed to and passionate about," Psaki told reporters.
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Tags: News, Kamala Harris, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, White House, Labor
Original Author: Naomi Lim
Original Location: 'She has a great, supportive team': White House stands by Harris amid staff mutiny
