A lot of politicians give nicknames to their aides. George W. Bush famously referred to his attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez, as Fredo. Mitch Daniels, then head of the Office of Management and Budget, was known as The Blade. Barack Obama reportedly called Larry Summers, his chief economic advisor, Dr. Kevorkian.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas also hands out nicknames to the people who work for her. The Houston Democrat addressed one of her employees as you stupid motherfucker. And not just once, but constantly, recalls the staffer, like, all the time.
Another Jackson Lee aide recounts the time her parents came to Washington to visit: They were really excited to come to the congressional office. Theyre small town people, so for them it was a huge deal. They were actually sitting in the main lobby waiting area .[Jackson Lee] came out screaming at me over a scheduling change. Called me a stupid idiot. Dont be a moron, you foolish girl and actually did this in front of my parents, of all things.
Yet another staffer remembers requesting a meeting early on in her tenure to ask how best to serve the congresswoman. Jackson Lees response: What? What did you say to me? Who are you, the Congresswoman? You havent been elected. You dont set up meetings with me! I tell you! You know what? You are the most unprofessional person I have ever met in my life. With that, Jackson Lee hung up the phone.
According to the same staffer, Jackson Lee would always say, What am I a prostitute? Am I your prostitute? You cant prostitute me.
Capitol Hill is famous for its demanding, insensitive bosses. Yet even by the harsh standards of Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee stands out. She may be the worst boss in Washington. Its like being an Iraq War veteran, says someone who worked for her. Strangers may say, oh I know what youve been through. No, you really dont. Because until youve experienced it . People dont tell the worst of the stories, because theyre really unbelievable.
For some, a job in Jackson Lees office proved not just emotionally but physically perilous. One staffer recalls a frank conversation with his doctor, who told him he needed to quit. Its your life or your job, the doctor told him, warning that the stress and long hours were wreaking havoc on his body.
Only a few on staff fought back. One of Jackson Lees drivers became so frustrated with her abuse the person pulled the car over and demand she stop: Shes screaming and swearing. M.F. everything. Finally I slammed on the brakes and told her to get the hell out of my car. Im like I cant drive with you like this. Either get out, or you can calm down. And shes like you need to go or get fired. Im like, thats fine. But Im either leaving without you or you can calm down, the staffer said.
Jackson Lee then threatened to call the police and claim she was being held hostage in the car. But she finally did calm down when the staffer called her bluff, offering to flag down a Capitol Police officer to explain the situation.
Former aide Michael McQueery said his experience with other difficult bosses on the Hill prepared him for how to handle Jackson Lee. Ive worked for two other members. They did the same thing, he said.
It was at first, Im not going to lie to you, it was a rough patch with her and me. But I took her to the side and I let her know that, you know, Congresswoman, Im a man before anything else. And after that, we had no problems. We had no problems, McQueery said.