Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris recently found herself at the center of a plagiarism controversy regarding her 2009 book, “Smart on Crime.” While her campaign spokesman James Singer rushed to defend her, claiming no plagiarism occurred, the narrative from certain corners of the media paints a different picture. It appears the Vice President may have borrowed quite liberally from sources like Wikipedia and the Associated Press, raising more than a few eyebrows and some conservative chuckles along the way.
Singer’s announcement reads like one of those late-night infomercials promising to solve all your problems but instead just leaves everyone feeling confused. Amidst claims of “right-wing desperation,” it seems Harris’ team is attempting to downplay a potential scandal that would make a college student blush. After all, when a politician has to defend themselves against accusations of lifting content directly, they’re likely to face a rough ride—especially when documented by meticulous researchers, one of whom happens to be an Austrian academic specializing in plagiarism.
SHE KEEPS GOING: This is a ninth instance of significant plagiarism by Kamala Harris. Although she cited the source, she copied long passages of language verbatim, without paraphrasing or putting it in quotations. It's textbook "verbatim plagiarism"—and not an isolated incident. pic.twitter.com/5uwWwRDxkt
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) October 15, 2024
Christopher Rufo, a well-known conservative commentator, was quick to spotlight the inconsistencies in Harris’s work. With help from Dr. Stefan Weber, Rufo uncovered multiple instances of unattributed content, leading to questions about the integrity of the Vice President’s claims. It’s quite amusing how a book released in 2009 has now resurfaced to ignite discussions about honesty just as the election heats up. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it sure does feel like an October surprise—a classic campaign tactic of digging up dirt before the big day.
Spoiler alert: Harris is slated to face off against Fox News’s Bret Baier soon, where it is presumed that she’ll be grilled on her plagiarism scandal. This follows an interview that took place with media personality Charlamagne tha God, which, unsurprisingly, didn’t touch on the recent controversy. It seems the strategy is to hope the storm blows over, but history shows that it’s tough to escape the long arms of a scandal when the spotlight gets too bright.
Even experts weighing in on the matter have pointed out that merely citing a source does not absolve someone from the sin of plagiarism—especially when the ideas are lifted verbatim without the courtesy of quotation marks. In this light, Harris’s defenders may be grasping at straws as the facts come tumbling down. For a Vice President looking to build bipartisan support, this misstep serves as a sobering reminder that integrity truly matters, even for those waving the progressive banner. As the adage goes, one should play with fire—and Harris just got a little singed.
