Kamala Harris Denies Being Misused or Underused

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday rejected speculation that she feels misused or underutilized in her role in the Biden administration during an interview with ABC’s "Good Morning America."

During the interview, host George Stephanopoulos asked Harris is she felt "misused or underused" by the White House.

"No, I don't," Harris said in response. "I am very, very excited about the work that we have accomplished. But I am also absolutely, absolutely clear-eyed that there is a lot more to do. And we're going to get it done."

The vice president has come under fire after a CNN report released on Sunday described a lack of focus and general dysfunction within her office, and said that she’s been sidelined in the administration. Some sources expressed concern to CNN that President Joe Biden could be setting Harris up to fail by tasking her with issues like voting rights and sorting out the causes of migration over the U.S.-Mexico border.

One major donor to Biden and other Democrats, who was not named by CNN, told the network that "Kamala Harris is a leader but is not being put in positions to lead … You should be putting her in positions to succeed, as opposed to putting weights on her. If you did give her the ability to step up and help her lead, it would strengthen you and strengthen the party."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently defended Harris following the report, saying that Harris receives more criticism because she’s the first woman, and first woman of color, to serve as vice president.

"I think there’s no question that the type of attacks — the attacks on her that certainly, being the first she is many times over, is part of that," Psaki told Politico earlier this week.

"What I would note, though, and one of the things I really admire about the vice president: She is the first African-American woman, woman of color, Indian-American woman to serve in this job. Woman. I mean, so many firsts, right? It’s a lot to have on your shoulders," Psaki added. "She is somebody who, at a much higher level than the rest of us, but who wants to be seen as the talented, experienced, you know, expert, substantive policy person, partner to the president, that she is. But I do think there have been some attacks that are beyond because of her identity."

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