Ex-Biden Staffers Jab at Jill Biden for Calling Out One of Joe’s Most Loyal Defenders

(Screengrab via Associated Press)

Ex-Biden staffers and Democratic operatives have publicly condemned former First Lady Jill Biden for publicly lashing out at one the family’s most loyal and faithful defenders, Andrew Bates, who questioned the timing of her new memoir release.

Bates, a former deputy press secretary in the Biden administration, told the New York Post last week that Democrats “had a duty to win” in 2024 and “didn’t.”

“I think about that all the time. But I don’t see why that painful conversation for the party needed to be publicly reopened right now,” he said.

The remark appeared to personally irk Jill Biden, who called him out during an onstage conversation with journalist Paola Ramos on Wednesday in Washington, while pushing back on the criticism of her book.

“I just want to say that my book has one chapter on the political wounds. One,” she said, noting that much of the memoir focuses on her White House experiences, including teaching, travel, and family life.

“So I want to say to Andrew: Call me up. If somebody has something to say, then say it to my face,” Biden jabbed.

The remark quickly drew criticism from figures who worked closely with the Biden White House and campaign, some of whom spoke with Axios reporter Alex Thompson, co-author of Original Sin.

Former Biden spokeswoman Rodericka Applewhaite told Thompson: “Why are we rehashing years-old scores and clinging to relevancy to sell books about palace intrigue within a wing that doesn’t even exist anymore? Focusing on this instead of the bleak reality Americans have been experiencing in the same time frame is exactly why we lost in ’24.”

Another former staffer in the Joe Biden White House told Thompson: “The former First Lady would still be known as the former Second Lady without Andrew Bates.”

Rob Flaherty, who served as deputy campaign manager for Biden’s 2024 reelection effort, posted on X: “Just a whole lot I could say about this but I will leave it at being so, unbelievably disappointed.”

Former Obama aide and Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor also defended Bates, writing: “No one was more loyal to the Biden family and fought harder for them than @AndrewBatesNC. Sh*tty to see that that loyalty was a one-way street.”

Bates, meanwhile, is yet to publicly address Biden’s remarks.

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