The working environment under Vice President Kamala Harris has been described by several former employees as extremely challenging and demoralizing.
According to Conservative Brief, complaints from her time as California Attorney General, U.S. Senator, and Vice President detail a pattern of alleged bullying behavior and a visibly high staff turnover rate.
The allegations have been compiled largely through interviews conducted by Charlie Spiering for his book "Amateur Hour," which delves into Harris’s alleged misconduct with her staff. Reports suggest that only a small fraction of Harris's initial staff stayed long-term, pointing towards a distressing work culture.
Specifically, during her tenure, only 4 out of 71 initial staffers from her first year in office remained, indicating a staggering 92% turnover rate. When Harris served as a senator, her office ranked ninth in having the highest turnover out of 114 senators between 2017 and 2020.
An infamous incident that underscores the allegations occurred during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings in 2018, where Harris reportedly berated a room full of Senate staffers, according to insiders.
Such incidents have led to characterizations of Harris as one who frequently subjects her subordinates to harsh criticisms. Former State Operations Director Kelly Mehlenbacher, who resigned in November 2019, penned a resignation letter that scathingly reviewed Harris's managerial style and lack of proper planning.
Persistent issues followed into her vice presidency, with 2021 reports from The Washington Post and Politico echoing similar concerns about the work environment. These reports describe ongoing abusive treatment and a lack of adequate staff support. The treatment described paints a distressing picture of life working under Harris, with multiple former staffers relaying experiences of being undermined and overburdened extensively.
One account expressed the feeling that staffers were merely expendable. "It's an environment where people are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses, and it’s an abusive environment," described one of the former staffers.
Regarding this environment, a frustrated former staffer remarked in a more extensive statement, "Frequently, staff members would return from interactions with her in tears, feeling utterly devalued. They would often cite a relentless barrage of soul-destroying criticism coupled with Harris's own apparent insecurities as the main instigators of the toxicity." In her defense, supporters of Harris might argue that high-pressure roles can inadvertently create stringent environments. However, the volume and consistency of complaints portray a pattern hard to overlook.
Despite the challenges, some define these experiences as isolated incidents rather than reflective of her leadership style. Nonetheless, these allegations suggest a need for greater scrutiny and possibly internal changes within her teams.
As the dialogue around workplace culture evolves, the stories from Harris’s office highlight significant concerns regarding the treatment of staff in high-stakes political environments. A former staffer’s precise words were, "With Kamala, you have to endure a lot of soul-destroying criticism and her evident lack of self-confidence."
This recurring theme of management by intimidation and lack of support has led many to reconsider the dynamics within such high-profile offices. As more information comes to light, the public and political analysts alike are waiting to see if there will be any response or changes in management approach from Vice President Kamala Harris’s office. The repeated issues point to a longstanding need for an assessment of leadership styles and the establishment of a more supportive work culture.
A repeated statement from multiple sources is that these issues not only affect staff morale but could potentially impact the effectiveness of the office. As scrutiny increases, it remains to be seen how this will affect Harris's political future and administration.
