A new report claims that dozens of staffers in the Biden Administration have experienced an unhealthy and toxic work environment in the president’s Advance Office.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the article from Politico featured over a dozen individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe what they have gone through. The focus is on former Associate Director Ian Mellul, who resigned on March 1st after the White House Counsel’s Office carried out an investigation into allegations of verbal harassment.
“There’s a right and a wrong way to treat people in any business,” said one former staffer. “You’re just not putting your best face forward for anybody if you’re just lashing out at people, barking commands, not treating people with respect, not treating people with dignity.”
Witnesses claim that Mullel would often threaten staffers who did not meet his standards, vowing to “ruin their lives,” while also calling them “worthless” and “pieces of shit.”
Another member of the Advance Office, former Press Advance Director Brie Moore, resigned after repeated complaints about her failure to properly communicate travel plans to the press.
In the Politico piece, six current and former staffers pointed the finger at Ryan Montoya, the current Director of Scheduling and Advance, and an Assistant to the President.
“Ryan Montoya is the head of the department who I think everyone would blame for this whole issue,” said one former official. “People went to Ryan many times and Ryan would just laugh it off and ignore it.”
“It’s upsetting because it’s not good for the president and the whole dignity thing is selective,” said another former staffer who accused Montoya of also engaging in verbal abuse. Unlike Mellul and Moore, Montoya has not yet been forced to resign, which witnesses attribute to his strong relationship with Anthony Bernal, an Adviser to First Lady Jill Biden, as well as Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates released a statement in response to the allegations, saying that Biden is “deeply proud of his advance staff” and “grateful to everyone who has served and is serving on an unmatched team that represents the diversity of the country as they have fought every day to help him bring his message to the American people and the entire world.”
The Advance Office is responsible for scheduling, setting up, and carrying out all public appearances by the President. The department frequently requires advanced planning and preparation, as well as travel to the various locations, and is thus known as one of the most taxing jobs in any presidential administration.