As Vice President Kamala Harris contends with intense scrutiny over her handling of the border crisis and other key issues, members of her staff are experiencing low morale and struggling to communicate with top staffers, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
Communication issues and distrust between aides and senior officials on Harris’ team, including her chief of staff Tina Flournoy, have contributed to a “tense and at times dour office atmosphere.” Politico reported, citing interviews with 22 current and former aides.
Much of the criticism was directed at Flournoy, who aides claimed has limited access to Harris and contributed to a culture “where ideas are ignored or met with harsh dismissals and decisions are dragged out.”
The issues were apparently exemplified during Harris’ recent trip to the border. Some of Harris’ aides and other Biden administration officials, including those responsible for booking her travel arrangements, were “left scrambling” by her decision earlier this month to travel to El Paso.
Politico reported that two current administration officials said Harris bore some responsibility for the issues on her team.
“People are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it’s an abusive environment,” one person with knowledge of operations at Harris’ office told the outlet.
