Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was interrupted again by her male colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee probing the Russian involvement in the Presidential election. This time it happened during her questioning of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, reports NBC News.
Employing the Department of Justice’s policy that prohibits disclosing private communication with the president, Sessions refused to answer a number of questions.
Harris, who has 25 years of experience in law and served as California’s first female attorney general, pushed Sessions to clarify whether or not this policy could be cited. Both Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) cut her off, according to the Washington Post. Before Harris received a clear answer, her session time was over.
A similar incident occurred last week when Harris questioned Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein about whether he would grant Special Counsel Robert Mueller independence from the Justice Department. As in the case of Sessions, McCain and Burr interrupted Harris, and the session ended before her question was answered.
A former campaign advisor for Trump described Harris as being “hysterical,” a word often used to discredit women as being emotionally unstable.
Harris’ treatment has been compared to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s attempt to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), reported CNN. Both instances increased coverage and support for the respective senators. Warren demonstrated her support for Harris on Twitter, “Keep fighting, Kamala!”
As the daughter of an African American father and an Indian American mother involved in the civil rights movement, fighting for justice is nothing new for Harris. She is the first Asian American and African American to serve as attorney general in California, as well as the first Indian American to serve in the Senate. After her dispute with Sessions, Kamala wrote on Facebook, “The women of the United States Senate will not be silenced when seeking the truth.”
Tanzina Vega, a reporter on race and inequality at CNN, wrote on Twitter, “Women of color understand what Kamala Harris is dealing with. Raise your hand if you’ve been shushed, silenced, scolded, etc.” Her words resonated with many on the Internet, receiving over 3,000 likes. “I thought so,” she added. “Thanks ladies.”
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