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White House Drug Czar blamed for ‘toxic’ work environment
As per a Politico report citing sources from the White House department led by Gupta, majority of its officials are unhappy with his leadership
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Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy / X/@ONDCP
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) Indian-American director Dr Rahul Gupta has been accused of creating a “toxic” workplace, Poltico reported citing nine people from the office.
As per the report, the office has experienced significant employee turnover, most of which has been blamed on Dr Gupta’s “egocentric” attitude. The sources – seven current and former officials, as well as two other people with knowledge of the office dynamics — described Gupta as a “prima donna” more concerned about his public profile.
The officials confirmed that there is large-scale discontent for Gupta, in the office which has resulted in the resignation of at least eight top employees and many other aides in recent months. According to them, the resignations have disrupted operations within the department.
Aside from the leadership vacuum in the office of roughly 75 people, there is dysfunction across the team resulting in important deadlines being missed. “When everybody leaves, it can’t be ‘everybody is the problem,’” said one of the former officials who spoke anonymously to Politico. “On some level, you might be the problem,” they said referring to Gupta.
The Indian American was nominated to the position in 2021. The White House praised his nomination as a “historic step” in the administration’s bid to curb the nation’s addiction and overdose epidemic. However, the seven current and former officials of ONDCP told the publication that Gupta has not lived up to the hype.
They revealed that Gupta put unrealistic pressure on his small team in order to raise his public profile, and made his displeasure known when they were unable to land a meeting with a high-ranking official during his recent travels. The sources also said he had unrealistic demands regarding travel accommodations while traveling domestically and internationally for his job.
The current and former officials also raised concerns about Gupta’s handling of his position. They believe Gupta did not make enough efforts to build key relationships with the White House, particularly with the Domestic Policy Council which coordinates the president’s domestic agenda and advises the president on policy.
“I think he likes the perks of the job. I think he likes the title, the ability to travel,” the first former official said. “But I don’t know that he likes the work that’s required to make it a very relevant place,” they added.
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