Following a New York Times investigation last week into Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar’s alleged mistreatment of her employees — which included berating her staff and throwing objects — more than 60 former staffers have come to her defense.
On February 24, 61 people who previously worked for Klobuchar co-signed an open letter published on Medium, insisting that the senator was a caring “mentor and friend” to them. Although numerous outlets, including the HuffPost and BuzzFeed News, have published detailed reports of Klobuchar’s alleged volatility and habit of demeaning her staff, the co-signers of this letter specifically address the editors at the Times, who they claim omitted the “positive anecdotes and stories” they shared in interviews.
“We previously worked for Senator Klobuchar, and some of us were among the former staffers contacted by the New York Times and other media outlets to share our experiences about working in her office,” the letter reads. “We do not believe these reports adequately describe our thoughts on Amy Klobuchar, many of which we shared with the authors.”
The letter also characterizes Klobuchar as a boss who was “there for [staffers] after a loss in the family,” and someone who “pushed [them] to be better professionals and public servants” — two statements that contradict allegations published in the Times that Klobuchar made employees pay back money earned during their paid parental leave in certain situations, and that staffers cried “all the time” over Klobuchar’s treatment of them.
In a CNN forum on February 18, Klobuchar partially admitted to some of the ways the incriminating reports characterized her: She said she’s a “tough boss” who has “pushed people too hard.” She stressed, however, that she simply has “very high” expectations.
She continued: “I’ve asked my staff to meet those same expectations.”
