'It's f---ed up': Campaign staffers who helped Biden get elected are grumbling that ex-Obama officials are snatching up White House jobs
- As President-elect Joe Biden picks people to fill spots in his White House, some of his campaign staff members are worried that they might not get a job in the new administration, Politico reported.
- "People are pissed," one Biden advisor told Politico.
- Members of Biden's campaign are upset at the number of former Obama administration officials who are being given top positions, Politico said.
- "The Obama staffers are now cutting out the people who got Biden elected," another advisor told Politico, adding, "It's f---ed up."
Members of President-elect Joe Biden's campaign are concerned about being swept aside as a growing number of former Obama administration staffers get tapped for jobs in the White House, Politico reported on Tuesday.
So far, Biden has tapped Obama administration alums for high-profile spots in legislative affairs, the first lady's office, and other departments. For his Cabinet, Biden selected Antony Blinken, who served as a deputy secretary of state and deputy national security advisor under President Barack Obama, to be his secretary of state. He also named former Secretary of State John Kerry as his climate czar.
While thousands of jobs have yet to be filled, many staffers who have stuck by Biden fear they won't picked for a new gig, Politico reported.
"The Obama staffers are now cutting out the people who got Biden elected," a senior Biden official told Politico. "None of these people found the courage to help the VP when he was running and now they are elevating their friends over the Biden people.
"It's f---ed up," the official added.
Another advisor agreed. "People are pissed," they said, adding: "I think I'm going to be taken care of but I have not been taken care of yet. I am really interested to find out how you even find out how you got a job in this White House."
Some staffers who spoke to Politico pointed out that people who had served Biden since the beginning of his campaign hadn't been picked for White House jobs yet. They took issue with Biden appointing his campaign manager, Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, and one of her deputies, Julie Rodriguez, to senior positions even though they joined his team after Super Tuesday in March.
"People who were not part of winning the hard-fought primary were placed before people who were part of that," one Biden advisor told Politico. "If you noticed, Jen's people are being taken care of."
A Biden representative told Politico that the transition team "includes many longtime campaign staff working alongside transition staff who have been laying the groundwork for a smooth transition for months."
"It is still extremely early in the process of staffing the Biden-Harris Administration and the people who put in the hard work to win will continue to be an integral part of the work moving forward," the representative added.
A campaign advisor, however, told the news outlet that "a lot of people are living in uncertainty."
The Biden transition team did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.