CNN panelist Reihan Salam has called on media outlets to question Vice President Kamala Harris' previous left-wing views as she becomes the Democratic nominee for president.
CNN panelist Reihan Salam has sparked a debate over the media's treatment of Vice President Kamala Harris, demanding that journalists hold her accountable for her previous left-wing positions.
During a CNN panel discussion, Salam expressed his concern that the media had suspended its scrutiny of Harris since Biden's announcement that he would drop out of the presidential race.
Scrutiny Demanded for Kamala Harris' Past Left-Wing Positions
"There was a brief moment for about three weeks, between the presidential debate and between when Biden stepped out of the race, when actually a lot of the media was doing its job, it was holding powerful peoples' feet to the fire," Salam said. "It was asking tough questions. There are a lot of folks who were really embarrassed by not having been applying more scrutiny. And now what you see, is a total suspension of that scrutiny."
Salam questioned whether Harris' public stance had genuinely shifted, citing her strident left-wing positions as recent as 2020. He called for journalists to probe these past views and assess if she has indeed changed her mind.
Scrutiny Demanded for Kamala Harris' Past Left-Wing Positions
"Let’s ask serious questions about Kamala Harris‘ record," Salam emphasized. "Let’s ask about the quite stridently left-wing positions she was taking as recently as 2020, has she really changed her mind? What exactly has she been doing in the White House?"
CNN host Abby Phillip, however, defended the media's coverage, stating that Harris' views on issues had been addressed through previous interviews.
Scrutiny Demanded for Kamala Harris' Past Left-Wing Positions
Salam argued that while some journalists were making an effort to hold Harris accountable, others appeared to be swayed by her generational and ideological proximity to them, leading to a lack of rigorous scrutiny.
"And so there are a lot of folks who I think are really rooting for her," he said. "And I think that when you’re looking at a lot of conservatives and moderate folks in the broader electorate, they‘re not necessarily seeing the same vigorous scrutiny."
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Solomon Jones took offense to Salam's accusation that journalists had failed to question Harris, claiming that he had interviewed her extensively on multiple occasions.
"I have interviewed Kamala Harris four times, twice in person, twice when she was a candidate and twice as vice president, and so I‘ve asked her all of the questions that I thought that my listeners, my readers wanted answered," Jones stated.
Phillip also expressed offense at the accusation during the heated exchange.
Despite the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris has seen a rise in her favorability ratings following Biden's announcement. According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll, her favorability increased from 35% to 43%, while her unfavorability rating dropped from 46% to 42%.
