The White House came to the defense of Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday night, calling her a "vital partner" after CNN reported that there is tension between Harris’ office and the West Wing. 

The report said the West Wing is exasperated by what it views as dysfunction and a lack of focus by the vice president and her staff. Meanwhile, many in Harris’ circle are frustrated because they don’t believe the vice president is being adequately utilized, and instead sidelined, CNN reported. 

Biden aides have been irked by what it sees as Harris’ gaffes, including her awkward laugh in June after NBC’s Lester Holt asked her why she hadn’t visited the southern border and her refusal to push back last month when a George Mason University student accused Israel of committing “ethnic genocide” against Palestinians, the report said.

The West Wing, however, has repeatedly told Harris’ staff it would welcome greater involvement from the vice president, but Harris’ office has not followed through on presenting plans, sources told CNN.

Meanwhile, Harris has told several confidants that she feels constrained about what she’s been able to do politically, and those around her are wary of her hinting at future political ambitions out of fear it could be regarded by Biden as disloyalty, according to the report.

CNN says it interviewed nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers for the article.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday night sought to dismiss that there is any rift between the president’s and vice president’s offices. 

“For anyone who needs to hear it. @VP is not only a vital partner to @POTUS but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country—from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband,” Psaki tweeted.

The CNN article comes on the heels of Harris’ four-day trip to Paris, where she met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss a wide range of issues, including global health, space, regional security, the Indo-Pacific, counterterrorism and cybersecurity. She also attended an Armistice Day commemoration, called for world leaders to address inequality during a speech at the Paris Peace Forum, and attended international meetings on cybersecurity and Libya. 

Symone Sanders, Harris’ chief spokesperson, told CNN, "It is unfortunate that after a productive trip to France in which we reaffirmed our relationship with America's oldest ally and demonstrated U.S. leadership on the world stage, and following passage of a historic, bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create jobs and strengthen our communities, some in the media are focused on gossip — not on the results that the President and the Vice President have delivered."

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last week showed Harris with just a 28% approval rating, lower than Biden’s 38%, congressional Democrats’ 29% and congressional Republicans’ 35%.