Chris Lange, FISM News
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Another high-profile staffer for Vice President Kamala Harris is parting ways with the administration, spurring further speculation about the climate Harris has fostered within her office.
Harris’s deputy chief of staff Michael Fuchs proffered his resignation in an internal White House memo obtained by Reuters on Monday. He is Harris’s 11th top aide to jump ship in the last 14 months. Fuchs’ exit follows the resignations of Harris’ deputy press secretary, chief spokesperson, and national security advisor, among others.
Fuchs served as Harris’s advisor on domestic and international issues, managed staff, and accompanied the Vice President on foreign trips. He said that he will remain in his current role until early May to “ensure a smooth transition” and will announce his next steps at a later date, according to the memo.
“Fifteen months later, it’s almost difficult to recall the magnitude of the challenges we faced when we came in, from an unprecedented pandemic to historically difficult economic circumstances,” Fuchs wrote. Work done by the Biden administration has turned things around, he wrote.
Jamal Simmons, the vice president’s communications director, said Harris “is grateful for Michael’s tireless work, leadership and the many miles he traveled domestically and internationally,” adding, “our entire team will miss Michael as he begins this next chapter.” Simmons declined to comment further on staff departures.
Harris’s tenure in the White House has been plagued by reports of acrimony and dysfunction, with staffers voicing frustration with the VP.
“It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,” an anonymous former employee told the Washington Post in December. “With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully, and it’s not really clear why,” the ex-staffer added.
Former White House staff members and other insiders claim the vice president is increasingly frustrated by what she perceives as a lack of respect and recognition from the administration.
The embattled VP has struggled to reframe her image following excoriating criticism over her perceived disinterest in the southern border crisis which she was given charge of, her inability to provide straightforward answers to simple questions, and a string of cringeworthy gaffes and oddly-timed outbursts of laughter she has exhibited in televised briefings, interviews, and on the national stage.
Lingering questions about Harris’ performance are further underscored by a Rasmussen Reports poll released Monday which found that 56% of voters view the Vice President unfavorably, 47% of whom say they view her “very unfavorably.”