VP Harris' new comms director said George W. Bush 'stole' election from Gore, was 'illegitimate'
Jamal Simmons said the Al Gore and Joe Lieberman ticket 'didn't lose' in 2000
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris' new communications director repeatedly wrote on Twitter that his former boss, Al Gore, won the 2000 presidential election and that George W. Bush was an "illegitimate" president.
Jamal Simmons, a longtime Democratic operative and political analyst, was announced last week as the replacement for Ashley Etienne, who left the vice president's office last month along with other staffers.
Between 2012 and 2021, Simmons tweeted multiple times about how he believes Bush "stole" the election from Gore in 2000. Simmons, who was the deputy communications director for the Gore-Lieberman campaign, also called Bush's first term "illegitimate."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jamal Simmons in February 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for BET)
"@jpodhoretz I worked for Gore 2000 & believe W's 1st term to have been illegitimate," Simmons tweeted. "Yet when in the room w/him I stood and gave ofc respect."
In a 2017 tweet, Simmons replied to a Twitter account, whose tweets are protected and unreadable, saying, "I said losing tickets. Gore Lieberman didn't lose."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The revelation of these tweets comes as national Democrats paint Republicans as the sole offenders of perpetuating the "Big Lie," a phrase that the media and Democrats have used for former President Trump's claims that President Biden stole the election from him in 2020.
A couple of weeks before President Biden was sworn in, Simmons continued to tweet his thoughts about the 2000 election, saying he thought "W stole the 2000 [election]," but added that he "still stood when [Bush] entered a room."
A few years after the 2000 election, Simmons worked for then-Sen. Bob Graham's failed presidential campaign, during which he alluded to the Florida recount saying, "[Graham] knows firsthand what voting irregularities and disenfranchisement can mean for the electoral process."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Simmons wasn't the only Democrat close to Gore who claimed that the election was stolen from him. Former Democratic National Committe Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who lost his gubernatorial race last November, questioned the 2000 election results several times.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe speaks to supporters during a rally in Richmond, Virginia, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021.
"Our base voters are madder than heck and think they were robbed. They worked their hearts and souls out in the presidential election only to have it taken from them," McAuliffe said in 2001.
MCAULIFFE CRITICIZED YOUNGKIN OVER 2020 ELECTION VIEWS, BUT QUESTIONED DEMOCRATS' LOSS IN 2000
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a 2001 interview with Black Entertainment Television (BET), McAuliffe said that the Democrats "won the campaign" in 2000 but "didn’t get the prize."
"Folks, you know it, I know it, they know it," McAuliffe said during another Democratic event in 2001, referring to the 2000 election. "We won that election."
Other notable Democrats who have claimed an election was "stolen" or that they actually won, include two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former U.S. Representative and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams speaks during a rally supporting former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Oct. 17, 2021 in Norfolk, Virginia. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
A White House official told Fox News that Simmons respected Gore’s decision to respect the electoral process.
A day after Simmons' hiring was announced last week, he received backlash and mockery on Twitter in response to Fox News Digital's reporting on some of his old tweets, including a pair of posts that asked why ICE was not picking up illegal immigrants who were speaking to MSNBC.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The backlash from progressive and immigration activists on Twitter pressured him to release a statement that drew even more backlash from activists who didn't believe he was sincere.
In a tweet on Friday, Simmons said, "As a pundit I tweeted+spoke A LOT. At times I've been sarcastic, unclear or plainly missed the mark. I apologize for offending ppl who care as much as I do about making America the best, multiethnic, diverse democracy"
Fox News' Houston Keene contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This story has been updated to include comment from a White House official.
Cameron Cawthorne is a politics editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to cameron.cawthorne@fox.com and on Twitter: @cam_cawthorne.