Meena Harris creates headache for Biden with rogue social media diplomacy

A tweet shared by Harris on Monday called Modi’s government “a dictatorship” and said he “is endangering the worlds largest democracy.”

In a post on Instagram, where Harris has close to 1 million followers, she wrote last week that “FASCIST DICTATORS” were on the rise, suggesting this was the case in India.

Her public comments could complicate U.S. efforts to strengthen ties with India, as Biden pledged to Modi.

One former U.S. diplomat said Harris’s activism “will seriously complicate our diplomacy with Delhi.”

“It’s inappropriate,” said Brett Bruen, the Obama White House’s global engagement director.

Confusing matters, the U.S. government has signaled support for Modi’s reforms.

“In general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment,” a State Department official said.

The agency declined to comment on Harris specifically, however, maintaining that her comments are not relevant to U.S. policy.

Bruen said Harris’s activism could also pose a security risk.

“Family members weighing in on foreign policy has always been a big no-no,” he said, adding it could turn the person into a target for foreign influence operations.

“It creates the impression that they can exert undue influence on the process and also opens up major vulnerabilities for our national security as countries and groups will target them to try and advance their particular policy goals,” he added.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Harris, who is of Indian descent and a close relative of the vice president, has drawn unusual attention for her efforts.

A recent tweet shows a counterprotester holding a picture of her face alight in flames.

Biden vowed “close cooperation” in a phone call with Modi on Monday. A readout of the call did not mention the farmers’ protests but included a discussion of regional security issues centered around China.

“A shared commitment to democratic values is the bedrock for the U.S.-India relationship,” the White House said in a statement about the call.

And one day later, in order “to reaffirm the strength of the U.S.-India partnership,” Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The administration has sought to tamp down speculation about family members profiting off of their ties to the country’s highest officeholders.

Biden’s son Hunter has come under fire, including for a newly announced book, as have Biden’s brothers and his son-in-law, a medical entrepreneur.

Meena Harris has drawn scrutiny over her business and social media activity.

Her company, Phenomenal, sells and markets products that make apparent reference to her most famous family member, and she has published two bestselling books, including one named after her mother Maya and aunt Kamala.

A product collaboration with Beats by Dre gifted to celebrities ahead of the inauguration included a pair of headphones that read “The First But Not The Last” in a nod to the now-vice president.

Though not for sale, these drew attention from Biden transition lawyers, who notified Harris that she could not profit off of her aunt’s image, Axios reported at the time.

Harris flew to the presidential inauguration on a private plane owned by a campaign donor, the White House confirmed to Politico.

The White House has sought to rebut criticism of influence-peddling around Biden’s own family, issuing ethics guidance and stating last week that Hunter Biden “has been working to unwind his investment” in a Chinese firm.

But curtailing Harris’s political activism may prove more difficult since her speech is a First Amendment right.

“I won’t be intimidated, and I won’t be silenced,” she tweeted last week.