Deputy Chief of Staff Kamala Harris, Tina Flournoy, is leaving the Biden-Harris administration and will be replaced by veteran White House employee Lorraine Voles, a White House official told CBS News.
Voles has been the vice president’s chief adviser since last summer and served as communications director for former vice president Al Gore. A White House official says Flournoy recruited Voles to work in Harris’ office. Flournoy has served as Harris’s chief of staff since the beginning of the administration.
“Tina has been a valuable advisor and confidant to me and a great office leader,” Harris said in a statement. “From day one, she led our team for a historic first year as we progressed in rebuilding our economy here at home and our alliances around the world. Tina is the consummate public servant and I will continue to trust her advice. , advice and friendship. “
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain also said Flournoy was a “critical member of the White House team from day one.”
“We’re done with staff changes for now,” said a person familiar with the comings and goings of the vice president’s office on CBS News, stressing that the 15-month mark of Biden’s presidency and the upcoming midterm elections term and presidential are historically a good starting point for some and an opportunity for others to join the ranks or move into an administration. Changes in Harris’ office also precede early changes and billing in the West Wing, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, among others, looking at outflows in the coming weeks.
The rise of Voles comes when Harris has seen the rotation of his communications and national security teams over the past few weeks. Jamal Simmons, a former CBS News analyst, took over Symone Sanders as communications director earlier this year. Philip Gordon, a veteran of the Clinton and Obama administration, is now a national security adviser after Nancy McEldowney left office. Rebecca Lissner, a former National Security Council official, joined the vice president as deputy national security adviser this week. And Dean Lieberman, a former State Department official, also recently joined as a special adviser and speechwriter.
Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
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