Harris after announcing presidential run says her ‘highest priority’ is protecting Mueller probe
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who announced she running for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, said her “highest priority” is to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“My highest priority, and what I believe should be the highest priority, at least for the United States Congress, is that Bob Mueller be able to finish his investigation,” Harris said, referring to the probe into Russian election interference and allegations of collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Moscow.
“Then we’ll make a decision. And certainly that decision will made in the courts, but it is also possible that decision will be made by the United States Congress,” she added.
Harris used her first remarks since announcing her presidential bid to define herself and her approach to 2020, stressing unity and calling for her party to “listen as much as we talk” to voters.
“For all voters, we’ve got reach out to folks, we’ve got to go where they are, understand who they are, we have to listen as much as we talk and that’s certainly what I intend to do as a candidate,” Harris told reporters during press conference at Howard University on Monday, asked about how Democrats could drive turnout among African American voters.
Asked about being both black and Indian-American, and how she describes herself, Harris added: “I describe myself as a proud American, that’s how I describe myself.”
.@edokeefe to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA): “Black voters didn’t turn out in the kind of numbers in 2016 as they did in 2008 — what does your party need to do differently in 2020 to ensure they show up?” https://t.co/UpjAWhw5xe pic.twitter.com/RG3uOGcdVC
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 21, 2019
{mosads}Harris, who was previously the attorney general for California, brushed off questions about whether she could connect with rural and middle-of-America voters, while quipping that she had briefly lived in Wisconsin.
“It is my full intention to travel this country and to sit in living rooms and to listen to families and let them express their concerns and their needs. And understand that … it is about representing all people of the country,” Harris said.
Harris ended the months of 2020 speculation on Monday, announcing on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that she was running for president.
Harris, 54, has been considered a potential frontrunner but she’s joining what will be crowded primary field with several of her own Senate colleague either running or seen as likely to run.
Harris tried to touch on issues that she believes unify the country both during her “Good Morning America” appearance and while speaking with reporters later on Monday.
“I’ve traveled our country and I know, again I know, that regardless of the state in which someone lives the core issues that are their concerns that weigh on them, that cause them to wake up in the middle of the night, are usually the same concerns,” Harris said.
Harris added that while the country is diverse, she appeared to take a knock at Trump by urging Americans to reject voices that try “to sow hate and division.”
“When we emphasize that commonality, when we recognize that commonality, we will achieve greater unity. And in particular greater unity than we have right now when there are so many powerful voices that are trying to sow hate and division among us. We’ve got to reject that,” Harris said.
Harris also took a couple of direct shots at Trump, knocking him over his Syria policy and the partial government shutdown.
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