Sen. Amy Klobuchar Addresses Staff Treatment At 2020 Town Hall
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) again addressed questions regarding treatment of her staff on Monday at a CNN town hall in New Hampshire, telling viewers, “You have to know I love my staff.”
The question came just weeks after HuffPost, Yahoo News and BuzzFeed reports that the Democratic presidential candidate was difficult to work for.
“Am I a tough boss sometimes? Yes. Have I pushed people too hard? Yes,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar says about her leadership style. “But I have kept expectations for myself that are very high. I’ve asked my staff to meet those same expectations." #KlobucharTownHall pic.twitter.com/zBQ0rbvcq7
— CNN (@CNN) February 19, 2019
“Am I a tough boss sometimes? Yes. Have I pushed people too hard? Yes,” Klobuchar answered. “But I have kept expectations for myself that are very high. I’ve asked my staff to meet those same expectations. The big point for me is that I want the country to meet those expectations.”
The senator also mentioned her long history of managing people in the private sector before taking office, saying she had low staff turnover during that time.
Klobuchar’s response echoed a similar defense she made following the announcement of her presidential bid.
“Yes, I can be tough, and, yes, I can push people,” Klobuchar told reporters following her rally at Minneapolis’ Boom Island Park. “I have high expectations for myself, I have high expectations for the people that work for me, but I have high expectations for this country.”
Several of Klobuchar’s former employees have said the senator had a history of berating staff and creating a hostile work environment. At least three people withdrew from consideration to lead her presidential campaign partly because of reports of the alleged mistreatment, HuffPost reported.
The centrist presidential candidate took questions at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. CNN’s Don Lemon moderated the town hall with the Minnesota senator and potential New Hampshire voters.
Klobuchar announced she was entering the 2020 presidential race earlier this month in Minneapolis, adding to the growing number of candidates ready to challenge Republican Donald Trump for the presidency.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
