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Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
President Joe Biden is fiercely loyal to his friends and political allies so when tensions arose in Vice President Kamala Harris’s office in 2021 as she hemorrhaged staff, he reportedly issued a stark warning to her staffers – if they leaked negative stories he would fire them.
The president and vice president had just taken office at the time and Harris was apparently trying to figure out a sustainable management style amid large turnover, according to The Washington Post.
Staffers were reportedly frustrated with Harris’s prosecutor-like leadership style in which she asked “pointed questions” about every detail of her schedule and briefings and doled out harsh criticisms all while approaching decisions with an irksome caution.
It led to somewhat of an exodus – mimicking similar patterns that occurred in Harris’s office when she was Senator of California.
In June 2021, POLITICO interviewed 22 current or former aides who attested to Harris’s office being dysfunctional and very negative.
So Biden apparently took matters into his own hands, demanding they maintain the same level of loyalty to Harris that he values.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
Harris’s office had a rocky start with more than 90 percent of staffers who began with her in 2021 having left her office. But three years later, things have apparently smoothed over as she’s found a management style that works.
Last month, more than 300 former staffers for Harris endorsed her for president in a letter that attested to her “great character”, “clear eyed” plans for a better future and extraordinary leadership.
“We have no doubt that Kamala Harris will make an excellent President of the United States,” the letter says.
“We have seen her take on bad actors and fight for those who are overlooked and left behind. We have worked alongside her as she has tackled the toughest challenges and the most intractable issues. And she has delivered results in every office she has ever held.”
It is not uncommon for high-ranking officials to see more turnover in their office than local or state-level politicians due to the demanding and high-pressure nature of the job.
President Biden’s “A-Team”, or senior-level executive branch staff, turnover is approximately 71 percent, according to Brookings.
Donald Trump’s “A-Team” turnover was approximately 91 percent at the end of his term. Former Trump staffers and officials have come forward with allegations of a chaotic and negative working environment and concerns about a second Trump presidency.
