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[Star Wars] Why were Mas Amedda and Palpatine so close?

Isn't Palpatine xenophobic against non-humans and wasn't Amedda just in that position because he had the job under Valorum? Why would Amedda go all evil just because the new Chancellor is?
gpt
Palpatine wasn't xenophobic in any specific way, he just understood how to manipulate people. In fact he was probably one of the best the galaxy had ever seen.  How do you get a group of people to line up, put on uniforms and start committing atrocities?  Make them an "in" group.  Tell them that they're better and more special than anyone else.  Tell them that their problems are caused by "others," and they're just defending themselves.   
Humans are the most populous, successful species in the galaxy, and of course Palpatine himself was a human, so that was the ideal line to draw.    
Amedda was a political climber. He was ruthless, unscrupulous, and very good at his job.  Palpatine needed/wanted someone like him, because he didn't really want to *run* the empire.  He wanted the empire to exist to help him do what he really wanted, which was gain true, absolute mastery over the force.  Amedda was just the best candidate for someone who was happy to shoulder as much of the government noise as Palpatine felt comfortable allowing.   
Their relationship started in the senate, where senator and later chancellor Palpatine formed an alliance with the well connected and highly ambitious Amedda.  They respected each other for their usefulness and abilities to each other's agendas.