Though she has yet to make a formal announcement, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is widely expected to announce her 2020 campaign for president soon.
But her presidential campaign is hitting rocky ground before it gets off the ground, as several former staffers came forward and accused the senator of being a cruel and abusive boss.
Toxic work environment
The Huffington Post reported that no less than three candidates withdrew themselves from consideration to lead Klobuchar’s 2020 campaign, due to her alleged mistreatment of staffers.
Citing several anonymous former staffers who had previously worked under Klobuchar, the senator was described as being “habitually demeaning and prone to bursts of cruelty” that created a toxic work environment, one characterized as “grinding and demoralizing.”
Staffers were routinely criticized for having produced “the worst” work the senator had ever seen, and the harsh criticisms would often be shared in emails that included multiple staffers, adding public humiliation to the mix.
HuffPost noted that Klobuchar’s office consistently had the dubious honor of having one of the highest rates of turnover among all offices on Capitol Hill.
“Intolerably cruel”
To be sure, there were several current and former staffers who went on record as having had no problems with Klobuchar, and a positive statement about how much she loved her staff was released by a spokesperson from her yet to be launched campaign.
However, Buzzfeed followed up where HuffPost left off and contacted several other anonymous former staffers who didn’t have much in the way of nice things to say about the senator.
Those staffers said Klobuchar’s office was one “controlled by fear, anger, and shame,” one that was “intolerably cruel” and featured the senator berating and demeaning staffers on a routine basis with “bouts of explosive rage and regular humiliation.”
Many of the staffers contacted by Buzzfeed issued similar complaints to those shared by HuffPost, though with perhaps a bit more detail about her short-fused temper and unpredictability, which hilariously was compared to the left’s perception of President Donald Trump.
“The reason it matters is when I hear the descriptors of our current president and how he lacks responsibility and everyone is to blame, and there’s erratic behavior, name-calling,” said a female former staffer of Klobuchar and Trump. “It’s unfortunate, but you’re also describing her.”
Sen. Klobuchar has developed a public persona as the friendly and rational “senator next door.” But these reports don’t bode well for her future hopes.