US Vice Prez Kamala Harris' communication director resigns from her post: Report

On Thursday, November 18, US Vice President Kamala Harris' communication director resigned from her post, reported Vanity Fair. Ashley Etienne, who joined Harris' team following the 2020 election, is said to have relinquished her post in order to explore "other possibilities." According to the report, Etienne's resignation is not unusual, since she is apparently following the unwritten pattern of White House employees leaving after their first year in office. "Ashley is an important member of the vice president's team who has worked relentlessly to take the administration's goal further. She is leaving the office to pursue other opportunities," CNN reported quoting a White House official. 

Before joining the Biden administration, Etienne was a senior consultant to the Biden presidential campaign and a communications expert for a number of public people in Washington, including former President Barack Obama and then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Notably, Harris has struggled with messaging issues, and she has publicly botched the White House's message on several occasions. Meanwhile, sources acquainted with the situation told CNN that Etienne's departure has been a long time coming. "Etienne 'was not a good match' for Harris' office and did not take an active role in developing a communications strategy for Harris' challenging first year in office," one of the sources told CNN. 

White House backs Harris, calling her "essential partner" of President

Reports of chaos in Harris' office this summer and this latest fall have put the White House into damage control mode on many occasions. However, the White House backed Harris, calling her an "essential partner" of the President following CNN's recent report of the dysfunction within the Vice President's office. "The President chose the vice president as his running mate because he felt she was exactly the person he needed by his side to rule the country," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing earlier this week as reported by the outlet. 

It should be mentioned here that before this fall, the Vice President's office hired several communications advisers, including a crisis communications specialist who is expected to work in a temporary role for several months. The Vice President's office hired two communications veterans in late September: Lorraine Voles, a crisis communications specialist who previously worked for Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, and Adam Frankel, a former Obama speechwriter. They have been reportedly hired to focus on "organisational development, strategic communications, and long-term planning." Meanwhile, on Thursday, November 18, Harris downplayed concerns about her role and emphasised her commitment to the President, reported CNN. 

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