The Prosecutor's Record
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Vice President Kamala Harris exaggerated her trial experience when she first ran for San Francisco district attorney just over two decades ago, greatly overstating the number of felony cases she prosecuted in order to bolster her image as the tough-but-fair prosecutor San Franciscans needed to set the city straight.
Harris’s overstatements about her prosecutorial record, central to her pitch as a candidate who would clean up inner-city crime, became a point of attack throughout the campaign from opponents who questioned her level of experience.
“As Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County from 1990 to 1998, Kamala prosecuted hundreds of serious and violent felonies, including homicide, rape and child sexual assault cases,” Harris’s campaign bio stated.
Harris made the same claim in a campaign mailer portraying her as a distinguished, veteran prosecutor with the ability to reduce crime in San Francisco and better manage the district attorney’s office. The flier, obtained by National Review, says Harris had 13 years of trial experience and includes the line from her bio about prosecuting hundreds of serious felony cases.
But she only had ten years of trial experience at the time, and she had prosecuted far fewer serious cases than the “hundreds” she touted, an inconsistency her opponents made light of in the midst of an intense campaign.
At a 2003 debate forum, one of Harris’s opponents, Bill Fazio, confronted her about the number of serious felony cases she tried as a prosecutor, according to audio of the debate obtained by National Review.
“How many cases have you tried? Can you tell us how many serious felonies you have tried? Can you tell us one?” Fazio asked bluntly.
“I’ve tried about 50 cases, Mr. Fazio, and it’s about leadership,” Harris replied, without addressing the discrepancy between her statement and her campaign’s claims about her experience.
“Ms. Harris, 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. 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,” Fazio pressed.
Another opponent to highlight Harris’s inflated statements about her prosecutorial experience was the San Francisco tenants’ union, which endorsed Hallinan and accused Harris of being closely tied to wealthy slumlords.
“She claims she has tried ‘hundreds of serious cases.’ In fact, she tried only 2 as a Deputy District Attorney in San Francisco and only 8 during her 10 years in Alameda’s District Attorney’s Office. Why is she lying about her record?” the union’s mailer says. The union also dubbed Harris a “no-show” who was “paid to do nothing” in two patronage jobs.
The dispute over Harris’s prosecutorial background was the subject of a lengthy San Francisco Bay Guardian story that contrasted Harris’s campaign with her comments during the debate and additional evidence that she tried a much lower number of cases.
“Obviously, the race for district attorney isn’t a contest for who has logged the most hours in the courtroom. But trial experience is an issue in the race – largely because Harris has made it an issue,” the Bay Guardian observed.
“And over and over again, she has exaggerated her own experience.”
I wonder if she carried weapons of war during her time as prosecutor.
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G George K referenced this topic