WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (BUS) – Simone Sanders, the vice president’s senior adviser and chief spokesperson, will leave Simon Sanders by the end of the year, in the latest high-profile exit from her office amid growing concerns about Harris’ communications strategy and quality. Being positioned for future roles.
Reuters reported that Sanders worked with President Joe Biden for nearly three years, often traveling with Harris on domestic and foreign trips.
“The Vice President appreciates Simone and she is likable… grateful to have hosted her through the end of the year,” a White House official, who did not wish to be identified, said, confirming her departure.
Earlier this month, Ashley Etienne, Harris’ director of communications, also left management.
A separate White House official familiar with the situation said the departures come amid concerns that Harris is not adequately prepared or placed, and is instead being sidelined.
Correspondence challenges were an ongoing struggle for Harris’s office during the first year of this administration.
In June, she was questioned during an interview by the NBC anchor about why she had not visited the US-Mexico border despite being charged with responsibility for the country’s migrant crisis.
This was followed by a woman who claimed to be a reporter and made her way to the Vice President’s press conference in Mexico. Recently, Harry’s first in-studio interview was aborted after two announcers on the show tested positive for COVID-19 at the last minute.
Sanders, who did not respond to a request for comment, sent a note to staff Wednesday announcing her decision.
“From my early days on the President’s campaign to traveling with the Vice President when I joined the card, to witnessing the historic swearing-in of the President and Vice President. It was an honor,” she said.
Sanders served on Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign before becoming a consultant on Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. She frequently advocated for Biden on television and helped him build support with black voters.
She also made it clear, privately and in her memoirs, that she was interested in becoming the White House press secretary and the first black woman to hold the position, but was relinquished to the position earlier this year.
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