A White House official revealed late Wednesday that Symone Sanders, Vice President Kamala Harris’ senior advisor and primary spokeswoman, is set to depart before the close of the year.
Sanders is one of the numerous top advisers who have left the Biden presidency in less than a year.
Link to my SCOOP:https://t.co/5TdNeYDlCN
— Jasmine Wright (@JasJWright) December 2, 2021
Sanders has served three years diligently. She first worked as an important member of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
She then served as a component of Biden’s transitional team, and now as executive assistant secretary and senior advisor/chief spokeswoman to the vice president. Harris said she was fortunate to have Sanders on board until the conclusion of the year.
Confluence of ‘Retiring’ Staff
Sanders’ departure comes amid rumors of discord inside the West Wing, Harris’ office, and even some vice president’s aides. According to the Washington Post, Peter Velz, the vice president’s chief of press relations, will leave Harris’s office “in the upcoming weeks.”
The same also goes for Vince Evans, the executive director of community outreach and intergovernmental relations. There has been a significant change in the vice president’s office in recent months.
Ashley Etienne, a former senior aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a former Obama era official, quit as Harris’ director of communications in November, while numerous advance staffers left throughout the summer.
According to a CNN article last month, Harris’ chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, has failed to hire new workers.
NEWS: Symone Sanders is leaving the Biden-Harris Administration at the end of the year.
Thank you Symone for always defending the Vice President and for working for President Biden’s campaign since April 2019.
— United for THEE People (@people4kam) December 2, 2021
Only a few of Harris’ presidential bid personnel accompanied her to the White House, just as few accompanied her from her Senate office to the race. According to former aides, Harris is harsh on her employees.
One former Harris aide, who is still loyal to the vice president, told Washington Examiner that Sanders’ resignation was not in the slightest bit shocking, considering her public status.
She said she’s not a supporter of the “celebrity employee” and doubts Harris is either. She also stated Harris needs individuals who can lower collective hypertension.
Sanders Leaving with Her Head Held High
Democrat insiders hold high esteem for Sanders. According to one former Harris presidential bid employee, she is a “f***ing brilliant” communications consultant.
Sanders continued, saying she is extremely thankful to the vice president for her show of confidence from the outset. Likewise, Sanders maintained she will cherish working with Harris and the entire team. She finally added that they were warriors.
Before entering Harris’ team, Sanders was a major Democrat campaign operator who counseled Biden and worked as a cable TV spokesperson for the now-president throughout the 2020 campaign.
Harris and Biden both have low popularity ratings, owing to worries about increasing inflation, gas and food costs, and difficulties surrounding the management of COVID-19. This is all drawing additional attention, as Democrats prepare for forthcoming elections.
