Kamala Harris just pulled off an act of massive hypocrisy.
She denounced the law firm that represented alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, then turned around and held a fundraiser with members of the same firm.
Does she think no one noticed this?
The Associated Press reports:
Harris blasts, and takes money from, Epstein’s law firm
Kamala Harris bemoaned the influence of the powerful and connected elite last Tuesday when she called on top Justice Department officials to recuse themselves from any matter related to Jeffrey Epstein.
She said their former law firm’s work on behalf of the financier accused of sexual abuse “calls into question the integrity of our legal system.”
Yet the same day, Harris’ husband headlined a Chicago fundraiser for her presidential campaign that was hosted by six partners of that firm — Kirkland and Ellis, according to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press.
Harris, a California senator and Democratic presidential candidate, was one of several White House hopefuls to blast the handling of Epstein’s case in Florida a decade ago, when his lawyers negotiated a deal with federal prosecutors that allowed him to avoid the possibility of years in prison.
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But her decision to move ahead with the fundraiser hosted by Kirkland and Ellis partners while criticizing the firm underscores the tension that can arise when a politician’s rhetoric collides with his or her need to raise money to sustain a presidential campaign.
“If any connection with Kirkland and Ellis is a stain on (senior Justice Department officials), why isn’t a connection with the law firm for the receipt of campaign contributions a stain on her own campaign?” said Paul S. Ryan, an attorney for the good-government group Common Cause.
Ian Sams, a Harris spokesman, said there wasn’t a problem with accepting the campaign contributions because the firm is big and the partners who hosted the fundraiser didn’t work on Epstein’s plea agreement.
To their credit, some media outlets are actually paying attention to this story:
Kamala Harris took money from firm behind Jeffrey Epstein plea deal https://t.co/PdNm2Qo3gz pic.twitter.com/K3W2o6xLe5
— New York Post (@nypost) July 15, 2019
Six partners of the law firm representing Jeffrey Epstein hosted a campaign fundraising event for Kamala Harris last week. https://t.co/bWqe6osQdw
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 16, 2019
Kamala Harris said the work of the law firm that represented Jeffrey Epstein “calls into question the integrity of our legal system.”
Later that day, her husband headlined a Chicago fundraiser hosted by six partners of that firm. https://t.co/jgaSwWUACI
— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) July 15, 2019
Kamala Harris Raises Money from Same Epstein Lawyers she Blasted https://t.co/CM4J5yE1k9 pic.twitter.com/FM4km3TI3h
— KMJNOW (@KMJNOW) July 15, 2019
Will she be challenged about this in the next debate?
Stay tuned.
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