Another member of Vice President Kamala Harris’ team is jumping ship into waters filled with previous staffers who called it quits.
Her chief legal adviser, Josh Hsu, announced his resignation effective at year-end, according to sources cited in an Axios report.
The Western Journal further reported:
The Democratic lawyer has worked for Harris since the Vice President was California’s U.S Senator, according to Axios.
He’s leaving the Biden-Harris administration to resume private practice as an attorney.
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain hailed Hsu’s contributions to the administration in a statement provided to Axios.
“Josh is an incredible legal mind and this entire White House has greatly benefited from his talent,” Klain said.
Klain also lauded Hsu with regards to what many people consider Biden’s most tangible accomplishment to date.
“I’ve been through many judicial confirmations, and Josh’s perspective on the White House’s Supreme Court confirmation team ensuring the historic confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, was very impressive.”
Hsu played a role in the confirmation of Brown Jackson, a progressive judge who became President Joe Biden’s first Supreme Court Justice.
The Biden administration has at times struggled with retaining personnel, even at the highest levels.
The administration’s inability to retain black personnel at its highest levels has proved a course of concern for Biden staff, according to Politico.
Black voters were crucial in Biden’s 2020 victory in the Democratic primary and the presidential election.
Some Biden administration resignations have hit close to Harris.
Three high-level administration aides working under Harris previously quit, with anonymous sources attesting to an “abusive environment” in the Vice President’s office.
“It’s not a healthy environment and people often feel mistreated. It’s not a place where people feel supported but a place where people feel treated like s***,” a source familiar with Harris’ office told Politico in 2021.
Worth noting, Harris has often been criticized for her gaffes and the pressure of those criticisms could very well be playing a role in her alleged mistreatment of staffers.
High turnover among executive staff contrasts considerably with the Biden administration’s retention of Senate-appointed Cabinet officials.
None of Biden’s cabinet officials have left the administration since assuming office as of September, according to CNN.
This consistency in retaining cabinet officials differs from the standard approach under most American presidents, who tended to be more willing to replace or fire cabinet officials than Biden.
