Kamala Harris' comms director Ashley Etienne resigns amid growing criticism of the VP

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Kamala Harris laughs off report she feels underused

Vice President Kamala Harris chuckles at question about reports that she's feeling underused in the Biden administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris' communications director resigned on Thursday amid horrific poll numbers for Harris and growing criticism of the VP.

Ashley Etienne resigned on Thursday. The resignation will take effect next month.

"Ashley is a valued member of the Vice President’s team, who has worked tirelessly to advance the goals of this administration," a White House official told Fox News. "She is leaving the office in December to pursue other opportunities."

KAMALA HARRIS CHUCKLES WHEN ASKED IF SHE FEELS MISUSED BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: ‘NO, I DON’T'

Etienne, a longtime top adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., served as Pelosi's communications director twice, sandwiched in between time in the Obama White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris.

The White House has struggled in recent days in the wake of a recent scathing CNN report that outlined frustration and dysfunction in Harris' office. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked the vice president if she feels "misused or underused" by the Biden administration. She laughed in response.

"No, I don't," the vice president said.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The CNN piece touched a nerve in the White House, with press secretary Jen Psaki tweeting out a defense of the vice president that appeared to be in direct response to the article. Harris' approval rating was a dismal 28% in one recent survey, a historically bad number for a vice president.

Critics have previously attacked Harris for laughing when she is faced with tough or uncomfortable questions. In June, she famously laughed when NBC News anchor Lester Holt asked if she planned to visit the southern border of the United States after President Biden tasked her with discovering the root cause of crisis-level immigration. She laughed at a similar question in March.

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U.S. authorities detained more than 1.7 million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2021 fiscal year, which ended in September, according to CBP data previously reported by Fox News. This set a record high, surpassing the 1.69 million arrests border patrol made in 1986. 

Fox News' Peter Doocy contributed to this report.

The exterior of Kamala Harris' apartment in San Francisco, California, that was recently on the market for $799,000. (Getty Images/Google Maps) _______ (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)