Symone Sanders, who has been senior adviser and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, will depart her role at the end of the month.
“It has been an honor to serve the Vice President in this role,” Sanders wrote in an email to staff, per CNN and Politico.
Sanders, who also has the title of senior adviser to the vice president and deputy assistant to the president, is the latest departure from Harris’ office, as Ashley Etienne, Harris’ communications director, also plans to leave. Their exits come amid stories of internal friction and discord in the vice president’s office.
Sanders was a political commentator for CNN until 2019, when she joined Joe Biden’s presidential campaign as senior adviser. She previously served as national press secretary for Bernie Sanders in his 2016 presidential campaign. She also authored the book No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America, which was published last year.
In her note to staff, Sanders said that she will still be an “outside voice” of support. “Our president and VP are fighters and I will continue to be on the team, fighting for them,” according to her memo.
The departures of Sanders and Etienne may be followed by more changes next year.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said back in the spring that she planned to leave after about a year in the job. “I think it’s going to be time for somebody else to have this job in a year from now or about a year from now,” she told David Axelrod on his CNN podcast.
SOURCE : Deadline
