Democratic representative Katie Porter (Calif.) complained to talk show host Stephen Colbert about the struggles of working with conservative congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.). The Democrat's staffers say Porter is the difficult one to work with.
"I think we should be more honest with the American people about Congress [being] a mess. … The truth is it's hard. It is hard to go to work every day with Marjorie Taylor Greene as a colleague," Porter told Colbert on a Tuesday Late Show episode.
But Porter, who is running to replace 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D.) in 2024, is not so easy to work with either, according to her staffers, who raised complaints about the congresswoman last year. Sasha Georgiades, a Navy veteran and former Wounded Warrior fellow for Porter, told Fox News that Porter made "rude and racist comments" to staffers and "ridiculed people for reporting sexual harassment."
"She has made multiple staffers cry and people are generally so anxious to even staff her because if ANYTHING goes wrong she flips out on whatever staffer is present," Georgiades said. "She just talks to staffers however she wants."
Text messages that surfaced in December show Porter berating Georgiades for contracting COVID-19, and Georgiades alleges that the congresswoman also "made fun of individuals whose parents passed away from COVID." Porter's office denied Georgiades's allegations.
Shortly after the messages leaked, anonymous Porter staffers posted complaints to Dear White Staffers, a Twitter and Instagram account for Capitol Hill staffers.
"Thinks she knows better and talks s--- about other members, leadership, staffers, local [elected officials], etc., at full volume, in public, and to literally [anyone] who will listen," one post reads.
"I regret if this employee feels disgruntled," Porter said in defense against the accusations in an interview with Pod Save America. "I'm willing to expect people to work hard. I work hard, and I think that's what the American people should expect."