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FILE PHOTO: US Vice President Kamala Harris \u00a9 AFP \/ Saul Loeb<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
RT.com<\/p>\n
The White House has defended Kamala Harris from media reports detailing her alleged administrative shortcomings, as anonymous staffers continue to complain of widespread dysfunction within the vice president\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Axios reported on Friday that several administration officials viewed Harris\u2019 office as a poorly-managed\u00a0\u201cs**tshow\u201d<\/em>\u00a0that lacks the discipline and professionalism of President Joe Biden\u2019s inner circle. Pointing to the fact that the VP has already lost several top aides, Biden officials told the outlet that Harris doesn\u2019t have strong relationships with her staff and has repeatedly received bad advice from her communications team.<\/p>\n The problems could have far-reaching consequences. Should Biden choose not to seek re-election in 2024, Harris would be the presumptive Democratic nominee. But Democrats close to the White House, including senior administration officials, are reportedly concerned that her political tone-deafness and handling of high-profile issues could make her a liability. One Democratic operative told Axios that party insiders are questioning whether the first African-American vice president would be a strong pick for the Oval Office.<\/p>\n Increasingly, Democrats are thinking:\u00a0\u201cOh, she\u2019s f**king up, maybe she shouldn\u2019t be the heir apparent,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the source said.<\/p>\n The salacious scoops follow reports alleging that there are growing tensions between West Wing officials and the Harris team.<\/p>\n However, doubts about Harris\u2019 leadership abilities have been dismissed by senior officials. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told Axios that the president has full trust and confidence in his second-in-command.<\/p>\n Biden senior adviser Cedric Richmond was similarly scornful of the rumors, insisting that the VP had fallen victim to a\u00a0\u201cwhisper campaign designed to sabotage her.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Richmond described the vice president as a\u00a0\u201cstaunch advocate for the Biden-Harris agenda,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and said that he has yet to receive complaints about her or her team. He further noted that many people working for Biden have been with him for\u00a0\u201cdecades\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and that it was unfair to hold the VP\u2019s team to the same standard one might expect from the president\u2019s staff. Richmond pointed out that criticisms of Harris and her team were only coming from anonymous sources, adding that the allegations have snowballed to create an \u201curban legend\u201d about the VP\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Questions about Harris\u2019 administrative capabilities came to the forefront after Politico ran a story earlier this week claiming that the work environment in her office was\u00a0\u201ctense and at times dour.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The outlet cited more than 20 current and former officials and associates of Biden of Harris, several of whom blamed the VP for the\u00a0\u201clow morale\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in her office.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it\u2019s an abusive environment,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0one source told Politico.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not a healthy environment and people often feel mistreated. It\u2019s not a place where people feel supported but a place where people feel treated like s**t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n