Tina Flournoy is the thirteenth Harris staffer to jump ship in a mere fifteen months.  Sure, in high profile positions in the White House, there is a normal rate of turnover as members leverage their positions to climb the next rung on the ladder.  Some are just not ready for the pressure or back biting.  Some are just a bad fit for the role or team.  But thirteen in fifteen months computes to one departure in almost 1.25 months!  Remember all the headlines screaming about Trump’s staff churn?  NPR had a headline: Trump Cabinet Turnover Sets Record Going Back 100 Years.  Glancing over the headlines regarding Flournoy, the most titillating of words is “exodus.”  But The Washington Post, who broke the news about Tina Flournoy’s departure had the mundane headline: Harris chief of staff to leave her job.  

Politico chimed in with the bland headline: Tina Flournoy, Harris’ chief of staff, is leaving the administration.  According to them:

“Tina Flournoy, Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, is leaving the administration, a White House official confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday. Lorraine Voles, who was brought in as a senior adviser to Harris last summer, will step into the role.

The move, which was first reported by The Washington Post, is set to take place later this spring.”

Ho Hum.  Just another day in the White House.  

But as our own Nina Bookout noted last December, former staffers called Harris a “soul destroying” critic and bully. 

The New York Post summed up the list of staffers who have jumped ship over Harris’s tenure:

“Among the high-profile aides who have departed Harris’s office are chief spokesperson Symone Sanders, deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh, director of digital strategies Rajun Kaur, director of advance Karly Satkowiak, deputy director of advance Gabrielle DeFranceschi, communications director Ashley Etienne, director of press operations Peter Velz, deputy director of public engagement Vince Evans, speechwriting director Kate Childs Graham and national security adviser Nancy McEldowney.”

One twitter user captured my own thoughts on Tina Flournoy’s resignation:

I’m old enough to remember when this kind of thing was a reflection on the boss.

Kamala Harris staff exodus: Harris’ chief of staff Tina Flournoy to leave positionhttps://t.co/ttRwvKSrh0

— God said “Let there be light” (@MichaelRCaputo) April 22, 2022

And as another Twitter user noted, I can’t wait to read about Harris’s trainwreck of an administration next Christmas!

Headline- Now Kamala's Chief of Staff quits: Tina Flournoy becomes VP's most senior aide to join exodus from her office. Ron say's "I await her tell-all book". pic.twitter.com/3nylGe3yNW

— Ron Milner (@RonMilnerBoodle) April 21, 2022

At least the Washing Post is willing to admit that this latest departure calls into question Harris’s management:

“Flournoy’s departure is likely to revive career-long questions about Harris’s management style and the high frequency of staff turnover in her offices and on her campaigns. The move comes at a critical moment, since the upcoming midterm elections — especially if Democrats suffer losses as expected — could clarify whether President Biden will seek reelection and prompt renewed attention on Harris as an alternative.”

But it couldn’t be 2022 without some sort of racial bias going on.  According to Politico:

“Defenders of Flournoy noted that Black women in power are often forced to meet standards their counterparts don’t. At the time, Daughtry told POLITICO: “Look, [Tina’s] strong, she’s intelligent, she’s driven, and she expects strong, intelligent, driven people around her. But some people may find strong, driven, smart people intimidating, but I think that’s more projection than reality because that’s just not Tina’s intent or style. And nothing in her experience would lead you to think that she’s an intimidating person.”

Immediately, I was reminded of a clip from VEEP, the HBO sitcom starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus:

Look, we have all worked for horrible bosses.  I hate to note that most of mine were women.  As a gender (am I allowed to even say that today???) we can be terrible to work with.  I literally had a conversation with my sister the other day acknowledging that the trope of catty women is real.  But Harris must be truly terrible.  A tweet Nina used in her piece last December:

Staffers who have worked for Kamala Harris say one of her consistent problems is that she refuses to wade into briefing materials prepared by staff members, then berates employees when she appears unprepared because she wouldn’t do the necessary prep work. https://t.co/X0HsOHefJm

— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) December 4, 2021

I wonder if Kamala has Queen’s megahit, Another one Bites the Dust, going through her head right now?  I know I do:

Feature Photo Credit: Original artwork by Victory Girls Darleen Click