Kamala Harris launched ‘dark-arts operation’ against opponents for VP spot in 2020, new book claims

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A new book claims that during the 2020 presidential race, former Vice President Kamala Harris’s team carried out a covert effort to weaken her competition for the vice-presidential spot on Joe Biden’s ticket.

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According to Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House by political reporters Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, Harris’s advisers deliberately shared negative information about other women who were being considered for the role. Those allegedly targeted included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, Georgia political figure Stacey Abrams, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

“In 2020, when Harris secured her spot as Biden’s running mate from a crowded pool of contenders, her team worked behind the scenes to discredit others under consideration,” the authors wrote, as cited by Fox News. One unnamed former adviser is quoted as saying, “We stabbed Karen Bass a little bit. We stabbed Susan Rice a little bit. We stabbed Stacey Abrams a little bit. We stabbed Gretchen Whitmer.”

The book, released on April 1 by William Morrow and Company, does not offer specifics about how this alleged campaign was carried out or what kind of negative information was circulated.

It remains unclear whether the individuals reportedly targeted were aware of this effort at the time. Interestingly, Bass, Whitmer, and Abrams have since publicly supported Harris, especially after she stepped in to lead the Democratic ticket in 2024. Both Whitmer and Abrams have even appeared alongside her at campaign events.

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Susan Rice has also come to Harris’s defense publicly. After Rep. Ted Burchett (R-Tenn.) labeled Harris a “DEI hire” last year, Rice called the remark “incredibly insulting” during an interview with CNN.

Harris has not commented on the claims made in the book.

The authors also allege that Harris was “completely shocked” by her defeat to Donald Trump in the most recent election, reportedly having believed her campaign was performing better than it actually was. Additionally, the book suggests former President Barack Obama hesitated to endorse Harris after Biden exited the race, as he doubted her chances of defeating Trump.

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