Debate: Questions Kamala Harris must be asked

By Steve Cortes
Real Clear Wire

Next week may provide the only opportunity to test Kamala Harris.

After six weeks of completely hiding from the media, Harris finally appeared, with the safety valve of her running mate, in a pre-recorded, brief, and totally friendly interview with Dana Bash of CNN.

Bash did not press on the most urgent issues, nor did she follow up when Harris either obfuscated or simply refused to answer. As such, Harris still escapes the scrutiny of any real interview, even though she has applied for the most difficult and important job in the world.

Moreover, if anything, the burden of proof should be far higher for Harris given that she was elevated to nominee status by the backroom machinations of power-brokers, rather than citizens voting.

In fact, Harris has never earned a single caucus or primary vote for president, neither in 2020, nor in 2024. Given that she came out of the Democratic Party apparatus that dominates California, in point of fact Harris has not faced serious scrutiny in her entire political career, ever.

She wants to claim all the advantages of incumbency without any of the attendant blame for her record as a sitting vice president and co-manager of the Biden agenda, especially on immigration and on inflation. Unfortunately, the corporate press seems more than willing to grant her this posture of “all the benefits/none of the costs,” in large part because leading media mavens clearly feel guilt for having deposed Biden so unceremoniously.

As part of that media fawning protection over Harris, she faces little blowback for ignoring journalists. Given this strange circumstance, next week’s debate may well provide the singular opportunity to press Harris on key questions that she simply must answer to prove herself worthy of the highest office in the land.

If ABC News wants to find a professional conscience on behalf of the profession of journalism, then these queries really should flow from the moderators, Linsey Davis and David Muir. But if ABC forgoes that ethical obligation, then President Trump should enter the debate hall ready to validly confront Harris on the following key dozen questions:

• When did you know about Joe Biden’s cognitive issues and were you always truthful with the American people about his condition?

• It has been reported that Biden was threatened with use of the 25th Amendment as leverage to get him to drop out. Can you speak to that issue and defend why you belong on the ballot even though no primary voters chose you?

• You have publicly boasted about Bidenomics, but Americans hate the economy. Can you describe Bidenomics and whether you still own it?

• President Trump did a highly confrontational town hall on CNN as a candidate this cycle. Will you do a similar town hall with someone like Laura Ingraham?

• Why do you affect accents in front of different audiences and what does it say about your authenticity?

• On fracking, CNN states that you never did change your own personal opinion in 2020, so can you explain when and why you did change to become pro-fracking?

• You’ve repeatedly backed race-based reparations. Can you explain why Hispanic, Asian and white Americans today should pay their black neighbors for racial injustices committed before they were ever even born?

• Can you state whether or not your home state of California is a model for America?

• How can you assure the American people that millions of migrants who poured into America will not receive amnesty and citizenship?

• What would you say to the parents of Laken Riley?

• Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal – you said you were the last person in the room and that you’re comfortable with the decision. Is that still the case?

• Housing affordability has never been worse in America by some metrics, and not since the 2006 Housing bubble, according to Goldman Sachs. Why shouldn’t Americans blame you for this crisis?

Steve Cortes is former senior advisor to President Trump, former commentator for Fox News and CNN, and president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group.  

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