Facing record-low approval ratings, allegations of internal conflict between her office and the West Wing and staff issues within her own internal staff, Vice President Kamala Harris is now on the hot seat.
Now, Democrats are saying that those who criticize the poor job performance of Harris amounts to nothing more than sexism and racism being the first woman of color to hold the office.
White House Press Secretary Jen Paski said that’s exactly what it is and it has nothing to do with her poor performance on the job.
“Criticism from the outside absolutely,” Psaki said. “I do think that it has been easier and harsher from some in the right-wing who have gone after her because she is the first woman the first woman of color.”
As reports circulated about “exasperation and dysfunction” within Harris’ office, Psaki took to the internet to dispel rumors of a rift between Harris and the West Wing.
“For anyone who needs to hear it. @VP is not only a vital partner to @POTUS but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country—from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband,” Psaki wrote.
Last week, a CNN report claimed the Vice President’s office was disloyal to President Joe Biden.
“The exasperation runs both ways. Interviews with nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers — who spoke extensively to CNN — reveal a complex reality inside the White House. Many in the vice president’s circle fume that she’s not being adequately prepared or positioned, and instead is being sidelined,” CNN reported. “The vice president herself has told several confidants she feels constrained in what she’s able to do politically. And those around her remain wary of even hinting at future political ambitions, with Biden’s team highly attuned to signs of disloyalty, particularly from the vice president.”
The apparently racist and sexist criticism of CNN confirmed what many of the so-called right-wing media outlets have been saying for months.
“She’s perceived to be in such a weak position that top Democrats in and outside of Washington have begun to speculate privately, asking each other why the White House has allowed her to become so hobbled in the public consciousness, at least as they see it,” CNN reported.