Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James during an event Thursday in Washington, DC, that was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrators protesting Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Today, I learned that the attorney general in New York just got indicted,” Harris said during the second of two events in DC to promote her book about the 2024 presidential campaign. “Even though the prosecutor who first looked at the case, who I’m told is a very conservative Republican, said there was not enough evidence.”
Harris, who served as district attorney in San Francisco and attorney general of California, slammed the Trump administration’s handling of the Justice Department, calling out US Attorney Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney who has brought charges against the New York attorney general and former FBI Director James Comey since being installed.
“Trump puts in place an incompetent person to make the decision to implement his vengeance agenda,” Harris said. “Think about it, the attorney general of the state of New York has been indicted when a previous prosecutor, who probably did not vote for her or me, said there was not enough evidence.”
James was indicted earlier Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents. James – who won a civil fraud case against Trump in 2022 – has been under investigation since May for alleged mortgage fraud.
Harris’ remarks in DC on Thursday were interrupted five times by demonstrators who rose from the crowd to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza – one shouting, “Your legacy is genocide.”
At the third interruption, the former vice president grew visibly frustrated, telling a protester, “You know what, I am not president of the United States,” and later remarking, “Why don’t you go to the White House and talk to him,” referring to President Donald Trump.
Harris also spoke out against the administration’s nationwide crackdown on immigration enforcement and the move to deploy the National Guard to major cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles.
“I leave and go to Chicago tomorrow, where there are Black Hawks – which are vehicles for war against enemies – and they are dropping Black Hawks in an American city,” Harris said, arguing that “putting America’s military on the streets” is “about striking fear.”
Meanwhile, amid an ongoing government shutdown and federal workers bracing for another round of steep layoffs, Harris encouraged those in civil service to stay in their roles: “I ask you to stay there, because when this is over, there’s gonna be a whole lot of debris and broken stuff.”
“I would encourage you to really stick with it, and know that you are doing noble work that we care about, unlike what this person is trying to suggest about who you and your colleagues are, we need you there,” Harris said, referring to Trump’s repeated criticism of federal employees.
