Kamala Harris’ new comms director tries to explain away unearthed ‘janky science vaccine’ tweet, and more

Jamal Simmons, the person set to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ new communications director following the exit of Ashley Etienne in December, may have a lot of explaining to do.

From mocking President Joe Biden’s “dazed and confused” antics to accusing then-President Donald Trump of “pushing a janky science vaccine into the public for political purposes”, Simmons is coming under fire for past remarks.

In August 2019, he hosted a show for The Hill titled “Why You Should Care” that aired a segment called “Dazed and Confused” which made fun of Biden’s frequently exaggerated and occasionally fabricated life tales. At the time, Simmons noted that there seemed to be a lot of this kind of thing happening.

“We do this story about once a week!” he exclaimed. “It’s what you get with Uncle Joe.”

Watch:

In May 2020, Simmons injected racial politics into his rhetoric to let Biden know that he was officially on notice from the black community.

“I think [Joe Biden]’s heart is in the right place but I just heard the perfect summation of his position. ‘Black ppl are happy to have Biden at the cookout but he should remember he didn’t get the original invitation on his own. He was a plus one.’ Don’t get too comfortable,” he wrote, likely referring to former President Barack Obama helping Biden’s image among black voters.

(Screengrab: Twitter)

In September 2020, while Trump was still president, Simmons cast doubt on the COVID-19 vaccines that were still in the works, accusing them of being “janky” and used for “political purposes.” A tweet that would, in the future, get one slapped with a “misinformation” label by the Big Tech powers that be.

(Screengrab: Twitter)

Now that he has an official job that requires keeping up appearances, Simmons responded to the outraged spawned by his previous hot takes on Friday:

As a pundit for much of my career I have tweeted a lot and spoken out on public issues. Sometimes I have been sarcastic, unclear, or just plainly missed the mark. I sincerely apologize for offending those who care as much as I do about making America the best, multi-ethnic, diverse democracy it can be. I know the role I am taking on is to represent the Biden-Harris administration, and I will do so with humility, sincerity and respect.

However, that hasn’t kept Twitter users from calling out his recently-unearthed hypocrisy:

Sierra Marlee

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