Vice President Kamala Harris is facing serious allegations of plagiarism related to her 2009 book Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer. Conservative activist and investigative journalist Christopher Rufo, alongside Austrian plagiarism expert Dr. Stefan Weber, have uncovered multiple instances where Harris allegedly copied content without proper attribution. The book, co-authored by Joan O’C. Hamilton, was foundational in shaping Harris' reputation on criminal justice reform during her campaign for California Attorney General.
The investigation revealed that Harris plagiarized at least 12 sections of her book, including entire passages copied from sources such as media outlets, Wikipedia, and governmental reports. In one example, Harris reportedly lifted verbatim language from an Associated Press and NBC News report on high school graduation rates, passing it off as her own analysis without citation.
#ComradeKamala is a Plagiarist😩. Her Book is going to bomb🙈. Why?? Who is Guiding her?? She keeps shooting herself in the foot. Both feet. pic.twitter.com/KH9jqDYSrf
— NotYourBankersHome (@Legalator) October 14, 2024
Even more troubling, large parts of a John Jay College of Criminal Justice press release were reproduced almost word-for-word in Harris' book, with only minor alterations such as state names and percentages. This further raises questions about the extent of Harris' involvement in the writing process, as ghostwriting is commonly suspected in political works.
Perhaps most egregious is the discovery that Harris utilized Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia known for its user-generated content, inappropriately. Wikipedia pages are notoriously unreliable as academic sources, yet Harris copied text from a Wikipedia entry about a New York court program without any citation, incorporating it into her book as though it were her original analysis. This is a serious breach of academic standards and could have severe consequences in other professional settings.
While Kamala Harris is throwing the race card and white shaming, Taiwan and China are close to war, and Israel and Iran are at war.
They are evacuating the embassy in Beruit, Lebanon right now.
Harris is a POS. I said what I said.
Source: US Embassy .gov pic.twitter.com/zxZy2pSWqU
— The Constitutionalist 🇺🇸 (@WeWillBeFree24) October 14, 2024
Additionally, Harris was found to have borrowed from a Bureau of Justice Assistance report, which had been linked in the Wikipedia entry. The material was used in discussions about nonprofit organizations and criminal justice reforms, but again, no credit was given to the original sources.
These revelations come at a critical time as Harris is campaigning for the 2024 presidential election. With the spotlight on her, these allegations could undermine her credibility as a candidate who prides herself on being a reformer in the justice system. Critics like Senator JD Vance have already pounced on the issue, sarcastically contrasting his own authorship with Harris' reliance on uncredited sources.
The fallout from these accusations could be significant, especially as Harris' team has yet to respond. While ghostwriting is often used in political circles, the responsibility ultimately lies with the person whose name appears on the book cover. This scandal mirrors other high-profile plagiarism cases, such as former Harvard President Claudine Gay, further fueling public distrust of political figures caught in academic dishonesty.
As more details emerge, the plagiarism accusations threaten to taint Harris' legacy and campaign at a crucial moment in her political career. With both conservative and mainstream media closely following the developments, the Vice President will likely face increased scrutiny in the coming weeks.
