Sen. Kamala Harris’ prosecutorial record in California is being picked apart by press stories — including some that charge she wasn’t progressive enough — just as she readies herself for a 2020 presidential bid with a new book and a media tour.
One story by Reason, a libertarian-leaning publication, argued that Harris’ office was “somewhat less than progressive” when she challenged a man’s release after he was exonerated by the Innocence Project. The man, Daniel Larsen, served 13 years for possessing a concealed knife.
But some on the left are also criticizing her. Jezebel, a left-wing website, dinged Harris for not going far enough to protect those who could be affected by the issue.
“Harris’s stance in her memoir on police accountability seems primarily interested in avoiding offense, rather than articulating a strong vision of how, sometimes, holding law enforcement institutions accountable does mean picking a side,” the site wrote, noting the California police unions are readying for a legal fight over transparency.
In her new memoir, Harris labeled herself a “progressive prosecutor.”
“The job of a progressive prosecutor is to look out for the overlooked, to speak up for those whose voices aren’t being heard, to see and address the causes of crime, not just their consequences, and to shine a light on the inequality and unfairness that lead to injustice,” Harris wrote. “It is to recognize that not everyone needs punishment, that what many need, quite plainly, is help.”
In some cases, however, Harris has only recently moved left, possibly in a play to win over voters in a Democratic primary that will be looking for progressive candidates. On marijuana, for example, Harris said she now supports federal legalization even though she had a contrary position before reaching the Senate.
“We need to legalize marijuana and regulate it,” Harris wrote. “And we need to expunge nonviolent marijuana-related offenses from the records of the millions of people who have been arrested and incarcerated so they can get on with their lives.”
Jezebel, however, noted that Harris hedges on the issue by saying it’s important to “acknowledge what we don’t know about the effects of marijuana.”
Harris also got hit in conservative circles for praising Larry Wallace, her former aide who resigned following a $400,000 sexual harassment settlement in December. The California Democrat praised his “leadership” while serving as director of the Division of Law Enforcement in her home state.
