McEnany on 12th Kamala Harris staffer departure: 'This is highly abnormal'
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany reacts to a 12th Kamala Harris staffer leaving the White House.
The Hill reported on Monday that Democrats were worried about a lack of "diehard Kamala Harris loyalists" within the administration after several staffers left the vice president's office.
"It’s always been a problem," a former Harris aide told the outlet. "You have to have your people around you." Another White House official told The Hill that people who have worked for Harris are "very willing" to talk about her history and answer questions.
The outlet reported that the vice president attempted to "steady the ship" by bringing on veterans such as Jamal Simmons, who is her new communications director, and Lorraine Voles, her new chief of staff.
Harris has recently begun taking trips to different states to talk about abortion and the Dobbs decision. She will visit Indiana on Monday to discuss the state's potential abortion ban with lawmakers.
VP HARRIS CONTINUES HEMORRHAGING STAFFERS AS CHIEF SPEECHWRITER PREPARES TO LEAVE WHITE HOUSE
Vice President Kamala Harris announces the Biden-Harris administration’s Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan in Brandywine, Maryland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Others have said that Harris' staff exodus could make her political future more difficult, according to The Hill.
An Ohio University professor told the outlet that a loyal group of staffers could "make or break a political career."
"They know the candidate, they understand their weaknesses and strengths, and they have a kind of personal connection that other professionals lack," a professor at Princeton, Julian Zelizer, said. "It could be that Harris lacks that sort of counsel, and as a result this weakens her politically."
The vice president's domestic policy adviser, Rohini Kosoglu, announced on July 15 that she would be leaving the office in August, and her director of speech writing, Meghan Groob, also said she would leave the administration after just four months.
WHITE HOUSE BRACING FOR STAFF DEPARTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
Vice President Kamala Harris embraces President Joe Biden at a menorah lighting ceremony in celebration of Hanukkah at the White House on Dec. 1, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Kosoglu worked for Harris while she served in the Senate. The outlet reported that Harris brought a small group of staffers with her when she was elected, whereas President Biden brought aides who have known him for most of his career.
"The reason they were able to mount successful campaigns was that they had the people and the necessary infrastructure needed to run a presidential campaign because they had relationships with people that went back years, if not decades," another former aide to the vice president told the outlet. "She’s had to hire other people’s people."
Harris' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Vice President Kamala Harris smiles during her speech at the NAACP National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, July 18, 2022. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)
Axios reported in December that staffers were leaving the vice president's office in droves out of fears of being labeled a "Harris person."
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