The Vice President’s communications director Ashley Etienne put in her resignation this week as the VP faces poor approval ratings and rumors of problems within her office have remained ongoing.
“Ashley is an important member of the Vice President Harris’ team, who has worked day and night to advance the objectives of this administration,” a White House official stated. “She is leaving the office in Dec. in order to pursue other opportunities.”
Before she became Communications Director within Harris’s circle, Etienne was one of the top advisers to Democratic House Speaker Pelosi and also worked under her as communications director. Etienne also was an employee in former Pres. Barack Obama’s White House, where she worked as a special assistant and WH cabinet communications director.
The resignation follows recurring reports of problems within Harris’s office – and even with the VP herself. White House media secretary Jen Psaki struck back at a CNN media release detailing alleged tension between West Wing aides and Harris’s office. Several Harris staffers allegedly have started looking for other jobs.
“For anybody that needs to hear it. @VP Harris is not only an essential partner to @POTUS but a strong leader who has taken on important key issues that face our country—from voting rights to root causes of migration to growing broadband,” Psaki tweeted.
For anyone who needs to hear it. @VP is not only a vital partner to @POTUS but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country—from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) November 15, 2021
“People are tossed under the bus from the very top, it is an abusive environment with a lot of short fuses,” the person claimed. “It is not a healthy workplace and people feel mistreated more often than not. It isn’t a place where people feel taken care of but a place where they feel treated like shit.”
Psaki continued her defense of VP Harris with a comment at this week’s press briefing, where she told press that President Biden chose Harris for the vice president position “because he believed she was exactly the kind of person he wanted to work with to govern the country.”
Harris told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired this week that she didn’t feel misused by the administration, while she laughed off the subject.
“We are getting things done and we are doing it together,” Harris stated.
Harris is also suffering from low approval ratings. A USA Today poll released Nov. 8 saw just 28% of voters polled saying they approve of the way she is handling the vice presidency.
Author: Scott Dowdy