U.S. VP Harris' office shakeup to bring 'new voices' into White House,
Psaki says
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[December 03, 2021]
By Nandita Bose
(Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala
Harris' senior adviser and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders is leaving
by the end of the year, the latest high-profile departure from her
office amid growing concerns over her communication strategy and how
well the first woman to hold the job is being positioned for future
political roles.
Sanders, who previously worked for President Joe Biden's campaign, often
traveled with Harris on domestic and foreign trips as the vice president
navigated the complex social and political issues Biden has assigned her
to tackle.
Harris was tasked in June with leading the Democratic White House's push
to increase voting rights at a time when Republicans are passing dozens
of laws that civil rights experts say will make it harder for minorities
to vote. She was asked in March to address the root causes of migration
from Central America to the U.S. southern border, a problem that has
bedeviled multiple presidents.
"It's natural for staffers who have thrown their heart and soul into a
job to be ready to move on to a new challenge after a few years," White
House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said of Sanders' departure on Thursday.
"It's also an opportunity, as it is in any White House, to bring in new
faces, new voices and new perspectives," she said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Dec/03/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png)
The vice president "values Symone and she is beloved," said a White
House official who did not wish to be identified.
Earlier this month, Ashley Etienne, Harris' communications director,
also left the administration.
A separate White House official familiar with the situation said the
departures come amid concerns Harris is not being adequately prepared or
positioned for the next natural step in her career, replacing Biden as
president, and instead is being sidelined.
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![](../images/120321PIX/news_m25.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris walks with Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Spokesperson Symone
Sanders to board Air Force Two at El Paso International Airport in
El Paso, Texas, U.S., June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
Harris has struggled to show she's making an impact
on voting, immigration or other policy priorities during the first
year of the Biden administration. At the same time, some Republicans
and conservative news outlets have made her a target of personal
attacks.
Her approval ratings have been underwater for months.
Sanders, who did not respond to a request seeking comment, sent a
note to staff on Wednesday announcing her decision.
"From my first days on the president's campaign to traveling with
the VP when she joined the ticket, to witnessing the historic
swearing in of the President and Vice President. It's been an
honor," she said.
Sanders worked for the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie
Sanders in 2016 before becoming an adviser on Biden's 2020
presidential campaign. She frequently defended Biden on television
and helped him build support with Black voters.
She also made it known, both privately and in her memoir, that she
was interested in becoming the White House Press Secretary and the
first Black woman to hold the job, but was passed over for the role
earlier this year.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington, Additional reporting by
Kanishka Singh and Jeff Mason; Editing by Heather Timmons, Kim
Coghill and Rosalba O'Brien)
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