Meet the Democrat on Capitol Hill that the White House loathes


In The Washington Post's autopsy of what went wrong for Democrats in the 2014 midterm elections, one name popped up over and over again: David Krone, the right-hand man of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Krone basically pinned the entire loss on an inept White House, at one point saying, "I don't think that the political team at the White House truly was up to speed and up to par doing what needed to get done."
The disdain, apparently, is mutual. In a new profile of Krone by Jason Horowitz at The New York Times, we get a colorful glimpse of the acrimonious relationship between Reid's office and the administration, which included a request from Obama himself to exclude Krone from meetings at the White House — a request that Krone overheard as he listened in on Obama's phone call with Reid.
Apparently, Reid could not care less:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One person who did not seem bothered at all was Mr. Reid. Without much conviction, the senator, 74, said he did not ask Mr. Krone to hammer the president for him, but also did not regret him doing so. "He didn't make it up, you know," he said in an interview. Asked if he worried that the escalation had damaged the ability of Senate Democrats to work with the administration, Mr. Reid raised his soft voice. "They should just get over it. I have a good relationship with the president. This is all staff driven. Get a life. Forget about this," he said. [The New York Times]
Republicans don't like Krone, either. Remember that time when Speaker John Boehner told Reid to "f--- himself"? Reid told him to take it up with Krone.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
June 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Donald's 30 dolls, a Flag Day fail and a MAGA Mayflower
-
5 jackbooted cartoons about L.A.'s anti-ICE protests
Cartoons Artists take on National Guard deployment, the failure of due process, and more
-
Some of the best music and singing holidays in 2025
The Week Recommends From singing lessons in the Peak District to two-week courses at Chetham's Piano Summer School
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein