‘Not to be trusted’: Harris caught inflating prosecutorial record in 2003 DA campaign

The resurfaced audio and mailers come as Harris’s campaign makes her record as a former prosecutor a focal point of her 2024 bid for the presidency.

By Matthew Xiao, The Washington Free Beacon

Vice President Kamala Harris was caught inflating her prosecutorial record when she was running for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, according to resurfaced audio of a debate and copies of mailers sent out by Harris’s campaign at the time.

The campaign mailers, which ABC News reported Thursday, touted Harris as a “veteran prosecutor” with “thirteen years of courtroom experience” and who “has tried hundreds of serious and violent felonies, including homicide, rape, and child sexual assault cases.”

Harris’s then-opponent, veteran criminal defense attorney Bill Fazio, questioned Harris’s claim during a radio debate.

“How many cases have you tried? Can you tell us how many serious felonies you have tried? Can you tell us one?” Fazio asked.

“I’ve tried about 50 cases, Mr. Fazio, and it’s about leadership,” Harris responded.

“Why does your information, which is still published, say that you tried hundreds of serious felonies? I think that’s misleading. I think that’s disingenuous,” Fazio continued.

“I think that shows that you are incapable of leadership and you’re not to be trusted. You continue to put out information which says you have tried hundreds of serious felonies.”

Harris did not dispute Fazio’s claims, simply responding, “Leadership, working with different communities as a career prosecutor, I’ve done that, which is why I, not you, have every law enforcement organization’s endorsement.”

The resurfaced audio and mailers come as Harris’s campaign makes her record as a former prosecutor a focal point of her 2024 bid for the presidency.

When questioned this week by ABC News about her prosecutorial record prior to becoming district attorney, Harris’s campaign backed down from her earlier description, stating instead that she “oversaw” and was “involved in” hundreds of cases.

Harris’s running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, meanwhile, is facing scrutiny over his own “pattern of prevarications” that stretches back nearly two decades, including his widely condemned embellishment of his military background.

Walz also falsely claimed his children were conceived through in vitro fertilization and bragged about winning an award from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce that he never received.

2024 ElectionsDAKamala HarrisProsecutorSan Francisco