Jill Biden’s right-hand man is known for trashing colleagues and making staffers cry, report says

• Anthony Bernal works as advisor to first lady Jill Biden.
• Politico spoke to more than two dozen sources, many of whom described Bernal as "toxic."
• The first lady's chief of staff defended Bernal to Politico, saying there's no one "with a bigger heart."
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

One of first lady Jill Biden's top aides, Anthony Bernal, has been described as "toxic" and prone to berating staffers, according to Politico's Alex Thompson and Tina Sfondeles.

The Politico report – based on more than two dozen interviews with White House staffers, former campaign aides, and Obama administration figures – paints a brutal picture of Bernal, who some compared to Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada" or Littlefinger from "Game of Thrones."

Neither Bernal nor the first lady's office returned Insider's request for comment Friday morning.

But the first lady's chief of staff, Julissa Reynoso, released a statement defending Bernal to Politico.

"Anthony's loyalty to our team and the First Family is unrivaled, and he holds himself, and all of us, to the highest standards," Reynoso said. "There is no one at the White House with a bigger heart than Anthony, which is one of several reasons why so many in the First Lady's office have worked with him for years. He cares deeply about the personal and professional growth of his colleagues."

Bernal's position in the White House is advisor to the first lady, and Politico describes him as the "most powerful person" in her office. He's worked for the Bidens ever since Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

The sources who spoke to Politico said Bernal is a devoted aide to the first lady, but doesn't treat staffers with the same level of respect.

"He has a constituency of one and he's very effective on her behalf," one Biden official told Politico. "The problem is that no one who has worked with him trusts him, and that's not good for him or her."

Many described Bernal to Politico as "berating" and "toxic," and said he's been known to make staffers cry. Two former campaign staffers told Politico that they've heard Bernal call people "stupid" in meetings or over the phone.

Two officials told Politico that Bernal's behavior was so bad during the campaign, that staffers told them that they started surreptitiously recording him in meetings.

Some sources spoke kindly about Bernal to Politico while also admitting that he's displayed some bad behavior.

One White House official described Bernal to Politico as "warm," "generous," amd "brilliant," but said he is "as quick with a compliment as he is with a critique."

A former White House official told Politico that Bernal was "the most loyal staffer I've ever seen" but said "even if you're his friend, you know he'll talk shit about you."

The sources interviewed by Politico were split as to whether they believe the first lady is aware of Bernal's behavior.

Some said the believe she would speak up if she did know, while many think she knows about Bernal's dark side but doesn't intervene because he's working on her behalf, the report says.