Harris defends policy shifts in first interview as US presidential candidate
In her first interview with a major news organisation since becoming the Democratic nominee for the November 5 US election, Kamala Harris defended her past policy record and centrist shifts on key issues such as border security and fracking. “My values have not changed,” said the vice president in a primetime CNN interview.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday defended shifting away from some of her more liberal positions in her first major television interview of her presidential campaign, but insisted her “values have not changed” even as she is “seeking consensus.”
Sitting with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris was asked specifically about her reversals on banning fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings, positions she took during her last run for president. She confirmed she does not want to ban fracking, an energy extraction process key to the economy of swing-state Pennsylvania, and said there “should be consequence” for people who cross the border without permission.
“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris said.
She went on to say: “I believe it is important to build consensus. It is important to find a common place of understanding where we can actually solve the problem.”
"He told me what he had decided to do and ... I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes,’ and that’s how I learned about it.”
(AP)
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