Kamala Harris chief of personnel Tina Flournoy obstructed Bill Clinton assistants, allies

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Kamala Harris chief of staff Tina Flournoy blocked Bill Clinton aides, allies

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Vice President Kamala Harris and her Chief of Staff Tina Flournoy clap as they view the Senate vote to pass the American Rescue Plan Saturday, March 6, 2021, in her West Wing of the White House.

Lawrence Jackson | Official White House Photo

Tina Flournoy, the chief of personnel for Vice President Kamala Harris, has actually developed a track record as a hard gatekeeper, utilizing comparable methods to those she utilized while managing previous President Bill Clinton’s post-White House workplace.

Flournoy’s tight method, that includes obstructing long time allies from calling Harris, has actually caused both appreciation and criticism.

It likewise has actually produced stress within the vice president’s group and amongst her outdoors confidants and donors. Politico reported on Wednesday that there is dysfunction in Harris’ workplace which much of the aggravation comes from Flournoy. She supervised about 10 staff members in Clinton’s workplace, while the vice president’s workplace normally has a personnel of approximately 100 individuals.

Several individuals who state they were close to Clinton prior to Flournoy became his chief of personnel in 2013 spoke with CNBC after a story released previously today explained her management of access to Harris.

Several questioned her techniques while she worked for Clinton. Some stated Flournoy shouted at Clinton allies, while others stated she restricted personnel access to the previous president and overlooked their concepts. 

Others applauded Flournoy, stating her method was essential provided Harris’ hectic slate. She has lots of protectors in Washington, consisting of the previous president himself, allies of his and even a previous chief of personnel to Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“Tina Flournoy ran my office for more than eight years, making it more efficient, effective, and transparent. She made it easier, not harder, for me to advance my philanthropic work and my post-presidential activities, and keep in touch with my friends,” Clinton stated in a declaration initially provided to CNBC on Thursday. “She has a unique ability to focus on the big picture and adapt to changing conditions. And she does it all with a great sense of humor and an unwavering belief that we all have an ability and an obligation to make a difference. She’s an extraordinary person, and I’m so fortunate and forever grateful to have had her as my chief of staff.”

Matt McKenna, who was Clinton’s spokesperson throughout a part of Flournoy’s period, admired her for assisting develop a much-needed structure for Clinton’s workplace.

“I think Tina put some much needed structure and guardrails around that operation and I’m grateful for it,” McKenna informed CNBC on Wednesday.

Minyon Moore, who operated in the Clinton White House and assisted present Flournoy to Harris, protected her pal in a tweet: “Tina Flournoy is focused, disciplined, & the person I would want by my side.” Moore did not return CNBC’s ask for remark for the previous story on Flournoy.

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Several allies of Biden and Harris required to Twitter to protect Flournoy after CNBC released its story.

“Chiefs of staff gotta run interference. Doesn’t always make you popular. But it’s part of the job. Protect the boss’ time,” Jennifer Palmieri, who utilized to operate in President Barack Obama’s White House and later on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 project, tweeted.

Steven Law, who was as soon as the chief of personnel to McConnell, tweeted in assistance of Flournoy’s work for Harris. He stated individuals grumbling about absence of gain access to are “whiners” who “need to get a life.”

“Welcome to the White House,” he included.

A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to concerns looking for remark.

For others, current reports about Flournoy’s methods advised them of their interactions with her while she worked for Clinton.

Some of individuals who discussed their experience with Flournoy decreased to be called due to the fact that they were not licensed to discuss their time around Clinton, while others didn’t wish to run the risk of retribution from Flournoy.

There were times Flournoy chewed out longtime Clinton allies who would look for individual favors from Bill and Hillary Clinton, stated individuals acquainted with the matter.

An example of how Flournoy wielded her power was when she chewed out longtime Clinton allies after they attempted to get individual favors from Bill and Hillary Clinton, individuals acquainted with the matter discussed.

“It was shocking,” stated an individual who stated Flournoy chewed out them. “It was shocking because I said to myself, ‘I’m an adult. I’ve known these people for a really long time, and I don’t work for you.’ You can’t call up and yell at me.”

On several events, individuals who worked under Flournoy in Clinton’s workplace felt they were boxed out as she preferred just particular concepts.

After Flournoy was worked with in 2013, several senior consultants who continued to work under her management stopped getting as much gain access to as they did to Clinton prior to her arrival, stated individuals informed on the matter.

Campaign Chairman John Podesta hugs Tina Flournoy, chief of personnel to previous U.S. President Bill Clinton, as they go to an occasion being held by Hillary Clinton to resolve her personnel and advocates about the outcomes of the U.S. election at a hotel in the Manhattan district of New York, November 9, 2016.

Brian Snyder | Reuters

“Before people went into scheduling meetings, they had to meet with her before hand and run everything by her,” a previous longtime Clinton partner stated. “People would prepare a memo and she would have to see it first. Sometimes she would change it, sometimes she would just throw it away.”

“When you start trying to control his other senior advisors who also have his best interest in mind, it kind of becomes an information vacuum,” this individual stated.

An example of Flournoy’s management design appears in a set of 2014 e-mails evaluated by CNBC.

The very first e-mail states an Associated Press press reporter based out of Clinton’s home town of Little Rock, Ark., was preparing to compose a story on the Clinton Foundation’s financial resources. The e-mail consists of text from a formerly released AP short article to work as an example of the Clinton Foundation story, which was anticipated in a couple of days. The e-mail looked for ideas from the Clinton workplace and structure leaders on the upcoming piece.

Flournoy, appearing not to understand that the text was from an old AP short article, then composed back with edits for the story.

“I would change the paragraph below to ‘after Hillary Clinton stepped down as Secretary of State,'” among Flournoy’s ideas checks out.

Almost 2 hours after she sent out that e-mail, McKenna, the previous Clinton spokesperson, played down the ideas in a reaction.

“I’m not 100% sure, other than I’m 100% sure, that you’re modifying a year-old story from the Associated
Press’ Little Rock bureau,” he composed. “As for the below, I’m happy to pass along to the Bureau Chief in Little Rock.”

Flournoy was amongst the dozen-plus individuals cc’d on that e-mail.