Vice President Kamala Harris’s communications director will leave his post next month after only a yr on the job, the most recent in a series of high-level departures from her office.
Jamal Simmons, a veteran Democratic aide who previously worked for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign and more recently as a contributor to CBS News and The Hill, joined the veep’s team in January to exchange Ashley Etienne, who departed in November of last yr to pursue “other opportunities.”
“Working for Vice President Harris has been an honor and a privilege,” Simmons told Politico. “I’m so thankful for the arrogance she put in me and I’ll miss this implausible team greater than anything.”
An email obtained by the Hill from Harris’s chief of staff, Lorraine Voles, said that Simmons’s wife accepted a position in Latest York and their family will move there “within the near future.”
“Due to his deep respect for the Vice President, he agreed to return on board for a yr,” Voles’s email added, in keeping with the Hill.
Simmons was tasked with improving Harris’ image after a series of missteps and markedly high staff turnover marred her first yr in office.
A series of reports last yr depicted Harris as a difficult boss to work for, with some former aides describing her management style as “soul-destroying” and saying their major job was “propping up a bully.”
A December 2021 Washington Post expose on Harris’s office quoted former vice presidential aide Gil Duran as saying that staffers “pretend they’re retiring for positive reasons.”
Duran also claimed that Harris’s “destructive patterns” were behind the exit of each Etienne and one other former top aide, Symone Sanders.
A June 2021 piece in Politico said Harris’ office was “chaotic” with a “tense and at times dour” atmosphere.
“Persons are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it’s an abusive environment,” the outlet quoted one source, who added that “people feel treated like s–t.”
Despite Simmons’ best efforts, a recent Economist/YouGov poll showed Harris’ approval rating stuck on just 40% amongst registered voters, while 55% disapproved of the job she was doing as VP.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s communications director will leave his post next month after only a yr on the job, the most recent in a series of high-level departures from her office.
Jamal Simmons, a veteran Democratic aide who previously worked for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign and more recently as a contributor to CBS News and The Hill, joined the veep’s team in January to exchange Ashley Etienne, who departed in November of last yr to pursue “other opportunities.”
“Working for Vice President Harris has been an honor and a privilege,” Simmons told Politico. “I’m so thankful for the arrogance she put in me and I’ll miss this implausible team greater than anything.”
An email obtained by the Hill from Harris’s chief of staff, Lorraine Voles, said that Simmons’s wife accepted a position in Latest York and their family will move there “within the near future.”
“Due to his deep respect for the Vice President, he agreed to return on board for a yr,” Voles’s email added, in keeping with the Hill.
Simmons was tasked with improving Harris’ image after a series of missteps and markedly high staff turnover marred her first yr in office.
A series of reports last yr depicted Harris as a difficult boss to work for, with some former aides describing her management style as “soul-destroying” and saying their major job was “propping up a bully.”
A December 2021 Washington Post expose on Harris’s office quoted former vice presidential aide Gil Duran as saying that staffers “pretend they’re retiring for positive reasons.”
Duran also claimed that Harris’s “destructive patterns” were behind the exit of each Etienne and one other former top aide, Symone Sanders.
A June 2021 piece in Politico said Harris’ office was “chaotic” with a “tense and at times dour” atmosphere.
“Persons are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it’s an abusive environment,” the outlet quoted one source, who added that “people feel treated like s–t.”
Despite Simmons’ best efforts, a recent Economist/YouGov poll showed Harris’ approval rating stuck on just 40% amongst registered voters, while 55% disapproved of the job she was doing as VP.
