Kamala Harris Says She Was a Progressive Prosecutor. Her Record Tells Another Story

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Published 2019-07-02

As Senator Kamala Harris rises in the early presidential polls, she is facing increasing scrutiny over her record as a prosecutor in California. In 2004, Harris became district attorney of San Francisco. She held the post until 2011, when she became the attorney general of California. We speak with Lara Bazelon, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. In January, she wrote a piece in The New York Times titled “Kamala Harris Was Not a 'Progressive Prosecutor.'” In it, Bazelon writes, “Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state’s attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent. Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors.”

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All Comments (21)

@c.l.freeman7654 5 years ago

Wow. A news organization not kissing Harris or corporate Democrats ass and speaking facts. Too bad this couldn't be mainstream news
@EJLegionHonor 5 days ago

She locked many black men for marijuana offences in jail and extended their sentences for cheap labor.
@NickoleaDance 5 days ago

A man spent 6 years in Jail, he was innocent, she didnt do her job
@arleenlove3788 10 days ago

She cost san fransico, ca $13.1 million for 1 wrongful conviction. Smh! She is horrible
@eggnogskills 5 years ago

She's horrible. That people find her to be a compelling candidate absolutely blows my mind.
@Darkmire 5 years ago

There is a shocking and disturbing amount of dishonesty in Harris's record
@korenng5553 13 days ago

So wrong 😭 pls remove her from Running Pres 😠
@leftykeys6944 2 years ago

I would never trust any candidate with a track record like Kamala Harris's!
@annmcdonald7713 5 years ago

She pushed to Uphold wrongful convictions. Cancel her
@ThrashRebel 5 years ago

😂 Progressively putting more & more people in prison. 😂
@1DangerMouse1 5 years ago

Thank you. She's awful. She encouraged a draconian criminal justice system. She was/is regressive!
@rosalitabueno5857 6 days ago

Oh,boy does her record ever tell her story. 😅
@pollyfoofoo8703 5 years ago

She is AGGressive, not PROgressive. She is a shrewd corporate centrist. More of the same. Bernie/Tulsi ticket for me please.
@GentiluomoStraniero 6 days ago

I'm conservative and i'm going to do something i never thought id do. I'm going to like this video. Truth knows no political bounds. Thank you.
@reginaldwilliams7348 5 years ago

She had a lot of innocent black and Hispanic men locked up.
@nafissaharoon3483 5 years ago

Doesnt she remind you of Hilary Clinton? Lacks sincerity, and a master at playing the spotlight
@judithmatthews8460 5 years ago

This woman is manipulative and power hungry. She gives off a real feeling of aggression. I find it very hard to believe she would implement progressive policies if elected. Her record does not support it.
@jaym2111 3 years ago

as she's now Bidens Vp, this should be a viral video
@cambriawellness3102 5 years ago

Thank you for digging deep into a frontrunner. Great coverage!
@qwdsdnaovbav 5 years ago

her ambition is power, she will say anything democrats want to hear to achieve it