“He’s had some great jobs because he was in the right place at the right time, but he never had any idea why he was there. He would be an accidental governor who would be quickly overtaken and overwhelmed by events.” -Senior Biden official 

SAN FRANCISCO –— A new report from Puck News reveals deep frustration from former senior Biden officials over Xavier Becerra’s performance as Secretary of Health and Human Services, with those who know him best describing him as unprepared, ineffective, and incapable of handling major crises. The piece adds to the growing pattern of concern from over a dozen former Biden administration officials publicly speaking out against the former HHS secretary. 

Excerpts of the full piece are below. Read the full Puck article here:

“Overall, there was a sense in the Biden White House that he didn’t come prepared to meetings with the president, he wasn’t strategic, and he didn’t move quickly,” one White House staffer told me, while calling out his handling of the migrant crisis and the pandemic response.””

“Another senior Biden official called Becerra “a modern-day Chauncey Gardiner,” the hapless lead character in the movie Being There. “He’s had some great jobs because he was in the right place at the right time, but he never had any idea why he was there,” the official told me. “He would be an accidental governor who would be quickly overtaken and overwhelmed by events.””

“Still, in debates this year, Becerra sounded vague when pressed for details about his plans for regulating artificial intelligence, housing, or tax policy. During a CBS California debate in San Francisco this month, Porter, a self-styled policy wonk, held up a whiteboard at Becerra and asked pointedly, “What is Mr. Becerra’s revenue plan?” Becerra responded by attacking Steyer for being a billionaire—and then pointing to some items he liked in Newsom’s proposed budget.”

“Silicon Valley giants like Meta, Uber, and Airbnb—along with real estate developers, medical organizations, power utilities, and oil companies like Chevron—have all been steering cash to Becerra and outside groups supporting his campaign.”

“One of the Biden officials who criticized Becerra said Newsom should keep a watchful eye on Sacramento if Becerra wins.”

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