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Tina Flurnoy, Vice President Harris’s chief of staff, is preparing to leave the White House, covering a long list of aides who have left Harris’ office in recent months and will be replaced by Lorraine Walls, a veteran Democrat and communications expert.
Walls, who has served as Harris’s senior adviser since last summer, will take the lead later this spring, a White House official said. She was Vice President Al Gore’s communications director and advised Hillary Clinton in 2008.
Flournoy has led the vice president’s operation since the beginning of the administration, overseeing all staff and setting the strategic direction for the historic and high-ranking vice president. This makes her the most senior of a significant group of senior officials who have recently left Harris’s office, including her deputy chief of staff, national security adviser and author of speeches.
Flurnoy is leaving for personal reasons, a White House spokesman said Thursday.
Until Flournoy left, the most visible departure from Harris was Harris senior adviser Simone Sanders, who left late last year. and shortly thereafter struck a deal with MSNBC. Jamal Simmons, a longtime Democratic operative, joined Harris’s staff as communications director a little later as part of a complete overhaul of the communications team.
“Tina was a valuable advisor and confidant to me and a great leader for the office,” Harris said in a statement. “From day one, she led our team for a historic first year, until we made progress in rebuilding our economy here, in our country, and our alliances around the world. Tina is the best civil servant and I will continue to rely on her advice, advice and friendship. ”
Flournoy’s departure is likely to revive career-long questions about Harris’s management style and high staff turnover in her offices and campaigns. losses, as expected – may clarify whether President Biden will seek re-election and cause renewed attention to Harris as an alternative.
Harris aides say the departures are routine and not related to internal struggles in the vice president’s operation. Some also suggest that she faces disproportionate – and sometimes unfair – criticism for her role as a powerful woman of color.
“Tina has been a critical member of the White House team since day one, working with the president and vice president to make the partnership effective and help the administration meet critical priorities,” said Ron Klein, Biden’s chief of staff. . “Her experience, wisdom and hard work have contributed to our success on many issues.”
However, the high turnover in Harris’s office is in stark contrast to the West Wing, where Biden’s inner circle has remained in place throughout his presidency – and much of his decades-long career.
The eviction of Harris’s staff raises questions about her future
Prior to joining the White House, Flournoy had a long career in democratic politics. She served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and served senior positions on the Democratic National Committee and Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign.
Harris, the first woman, black, and Asian woman to serve as vice president, often attracts more attention than others who have held her position, including reporters tasked with keeping track of her movements and tracking her election numbers. She sometimes struggles to orient herself in her role, as she has taken on a large and difficult portfolio, including voting rights, the root causes of migration from Central America, maternal health and space policy.
Harris’ aides are looking to change course
After a series of early missteps, Harris recently tackled several important issues in ways that seem to have strengthened her growth.
She represented the United States at a major global security conference in Germany as Europe prepared for the start of the war in Ukraine. In several meetings she was surrounded by Flournoy. She traveled to Poland and Romania to reassure her allies that the United States remained committed to supporting Ukraine and NATO.
Harris is chairing the Senate this month with the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, who will be the first black woman in the Supreme Court. As chairman of the National Space Council, Harris announced that the United States would no longer conduct destructive satellite tests, urging other nations to follow suit.
The unlikely relationship between Harris and Marty Walsh
In a more personal vote of confidence, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who will be married next month, said she had chosen Harris to lead the ceremony.
Democrats are now looking at the November by-elections, where many analysts from both parties expect them to suffer heavy losses, potentially relinquishing control of one or both houses of Congress. Biden is expected to signal more clearly after the interim term whether he plans to run again, and a difficult result could make it difficult for the 79-year-old president to continue with his re-election.
If Biden does not run, Harris, who is running for president in 2020, is likely to top the list of potential Democratic candidates, and control over her political strengths and weaknesses will increase dramatically.
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