Topline
Jamal Simmons, the incoming communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, appears to have donated to the 2016 presidential campaign of Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Jamal Simmons was confirmed to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ next communications director this … [+]
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Key Facts
FEC filings from Paul’s campaign show Jamal Simmons of the Raben Group, a political communications firm that employed Simmons from 2009 to 2018, gave $250 to the senator’s bid for the Republican nomination in June 2015.
The donation was first noticed by a Twitter user responding to Simmons’ apology Friday for a 2010 tweet that appeared to endorse the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
In 2014, Simmons responded to a tweet about Paul’s support for speeding up deportations of “immigrant children” by writing, “I liked him so much last week.”
The remainder of Simmons’ 51 other campaign donations since 2005 went to Democrats or left-leaning political action committees, including a $100 donation to Harris’ Senate campaign in 2015.
Multiple news outlets reported Thursday that Simmons will soon become Harris’ communications director, and an unnamed White House official confirmed Simmons’ upcoming appointment to CNN and Politico.
Simmons and the White House have yet to respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
Simmons has worked in political communications for nearly thirty years, serving as deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee in 2000 and most recently as a contributor to The Hill and CBS News, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is set to replace Harris’ former head of communications, Ashley Etienne, who departed in November along with several other top-level Harris staffers amid rumors about possible dysfunction in the vice president’s office. Shortly after news about his upcoming role came out, Simmons drew fire for writing in a 2010 tweet, “Just saw 2 undocumented folks talking on MSNBC. Can someone explain why ICE is not picking them up?” Simmons took to Twitter to apologize Friday: “At times I’ve been sarcastic, unclear or plainly missed the mark…. I’ll rep the Biden-Harris admin w/ humility, sincerity+respect.”
Tangent
Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to former President Donald Trump who was credited by many as the architect of the administration’s controversial immigration policies, said in a Friday tweet: “I agree with [Simmons]. If you break into our nation there must be deportation.”
Further Reading
Harris’ new communications director apologizes after backlash to 2010 deportations tweet (NBC News)
Jamal Simmons to be named Harris communications director (The Hill)
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