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Kamala Harris, Democrats Are Still Doubling Down on Trump-Hitler Comparisons. Will There Be Consequences?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 24, 2024 4:00 PM

The Atlantic published a hit piece on former and potentially future President Donald Trump on Tuesday, claiming he disrespected a murdered U.S. soldier and wished he had generals "like Hitler." The story has been denounced by everyone in the room with Trump, and decried by the victim's family, but that hasn't stopped Vice President Kamala Harris and the DNC as a whole from running with this story.

Harris held a hastily scheduled event on Wednesday to turn her complaints against Trump into a campaign speech, and took no questions. There were concerns that she violated the Hatch Act with what was billed as a "press conference," specifically from Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), who wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland that same day.

As Mills wrote in his letter, Harris spoke for just three minutes, but "only made vicious political attacks" on Trump, which involved "making multiple defamatory references to Hitler..."

While the Hatch Act does not apply to the president or vice president, Mills noted how "it does not exempt from them criminal provisions."

"In Federal law it is a crime for any federal officer or employee to 'use his official authority for the purpose of interfering with, or affecting, the nomination or the election of any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives,'" Mills reminded. 

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The congressman concluded his letter with reference to where Garland fits into this. "Recognizing this concern and as Attorney General, you issued a strict prohibition to your political appointees from participating in campaign-related activities in any capacity. As Attorney General you answer to the President, but your oath is the Constitution and the laws of the United States," Mills stated. "I ask that you investigate today's questionless 'press conference' as it appears to be a direct use of official authority to affect the election. Given the proximity to the election, the American people deserve timely answers."

Harris' attacks on Trump didn't stop there. Later that day, she appeared on CNN for a town hall, yet another event that didn't go well for her, especially given CNN's fact-checks against her. Sure enough, Harris made attacks on Trump and charges of fascism a central theme of her responses, whether related or not.

Moderator Anderson Cooper began the event by reminding Harris, "For weeks, you have been calling Donald Trump unstable, unhinged. You have called him dangerous. You have quoted General Milley recently, who called him a fascist. Today, you quoted General Kelly, who said that Trump repeatedly praised Hitler."

"He's arguably more popular now than ever. You have 13 days to go," Cooper reminded. "What do you say to those voters to convince them, because some of them are in this room?"

Harris stuck to old habits. "And so the issue that you raise, yes, I do believe that Donald Trump is unstable, increasingly unstable, and unfit to serve," she told Cooper. That was actually not his question, though, as Cooper highlighted how Trump's "arguably more popular now than ever," and Harris needs to make a bigger sell.

She then went on to claim that "the people who know Donald Trump best... have all called him unfit and dangerous."

Harris also depended heavily on John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, as one of those ranting about how supposedly "dangerous Donald Trump is." 

For all of this talk about "the people who know Donald Trump best," it's crucial to remind that The Atlantic story has been thoroughly debunked by those in the room, and that the victim's sister, Mayra Guillen, has asked Jeffrey Goldberg and the outlet to not use her sister's same for political gain, though they've kept doing so to go after Trump. 

In getting more hysterical from there, Harris offered, "I think one has to think about... why is [Kelly] telling the American people now? And, frankly, I think of it as, he's just putting out a 911 call to the American people."

Or, this could be another desperate October Surprise as part of a last ditch effort. 

"So I think that when the American people reflect, especially those who are undecided, on who you should listen to, don't take my word for it. In fact, go online and listen to John Kelly, his voice, talking about what he thinks of Donald Trump two weeks before the election. Because I think we all know, to your point, Anderson, it is close, but there are undecided voters who clearly, by being here, have an open mind, want to talk in a way that is grounded in issues and fact," Harris laughably offered. "And when they hear these facts, I think it compels a lot of people to be concerned about the future of our country with Donald Trump at the lead."

When Cooper followed up to ask, "Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?" Harris was clear. "Yes, I do. Yes, I do. And I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted," she ranted, also bringing up, for some reason, how she's campaigned with former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and former Vice President Dick Cheney, two particularly unpopular figures. 

Harris would again refer to Trump as "a fascist" later in the town hall when pressed further by Cooper. 

In response to Cooper asking, "What do you say to voters who are thinking about supporting a third-party candidate or staying on the couch, not voting at all because of this issue [of the Israel-Hamas War]?" Harris in part answered, "I also do know that for many people who care about this issue, they also care about bringing down the price of groceries. They also care about our democracy and not having a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist."

When taking a question from a voter about the rise in antisemitism, which Harris' party has been shamefully lacking on handling, she again brought up the Hitler comparison. 

Cooper had also asked during the town hall event, "Do you believe Donald Trump is antisemitic?" Harris couldn't answer the question, and instead responded, "I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of America."

When Cooper then asked her, "Do you believe you would be more pro-Israel than Donald Trump?" her shameful non-answer was mostly about Trump. "I believe that Donald Trump is dangerous. I believe that, when you have a president of the United States who has said to his generals, who work for him because he is commander in chief -- these conversations, I assume many of them took place in the Oval Office," she stated.

As she claimed that "this is a serious, serious issue," Harris stuck to ranting about Trump and providing a word salad that had nothing to do with Israel, despite being asked a direct question. 

"And so I -- I say that to say the American people deserve to have a president who encourages healthy debate, works across the aisle, not afraid of good ideas wherever they come from, but also maintains certain standards about how we think about the role and the responsibility, and certainly not comparing oneself in a clearly admiring way to Hitler," she also claimed.

It's not just Harris doubling down on the Hitler connections. The DNC on Thursday morning put out an announcement that it would be putting out a mobile billboard ahead of a Las Vegas rally doubling down on such a connection. As if this wasn't shameless enough, the email announcement as well as a statement from DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison made reference to "his Project 2025 agenda," despite how the initiative of the Heritage Project has nothing to do with the Trump-Vance campaign, as Trump and fact-checkers have made abundantly clear on multiple occasions, which the Harris campaign knows better on. 

Regardless as to if there will be consequences from Garland and the Biden-Harris Department of Justice, which will very likely continue to protect one of their own, Harris could very well face consequences from the American people if Trump is elected in a matter of weeks. 

Harris' lead at the national level has plunged to just +0.2, per RealClearPolling, which factors in the latest poll from The Wall Street Journal showing Trump ahead. Trump also leads in all of the battleground states where the election is likely to be decided.