Feeble attempt to lionize and give IC “experience” to a then-freshman U.S. Senator in her “battle” against Trump and his administration:
’’’How Russiagate Built Kamala Harris’ Reputation in the Senate’’’
‘’Harris’ time on the Senate’s Intelligence Committee gives a window into the vice president’s leadership style during one of the most tumultuous periods in the panel’s history.’’
By Byron Tau and John T. Seward / August 14, 2024 05:00 AM
"… Harris, a freshman member with no prior national security experience, was the [Senate’s intelligence] committee’s newest appointee.
"Behind closed doors, she played a pivotal role in pushing the Republican majority panel to conduct an aggressive and thorough investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election… She also got a ‘’’whirlwind national security education’’’ …
". . . Harris … was introduced to what one former spy called the “wilderness of mirrors,” the clandestine world of espionage, influence and geopolitical intrigue in which intelligence agencies routinely operate.
. . .
“Her first month in Washington was also Donald Trump’s.”
"Her time on the panel “solidified her worldview in terms of the importance of defending democracies and multilateral alliances,” …
. . .
“It’s a committee that we always prided ourselves with bipartisanship, … ,” [said] Sen. Mark Warner… “She fit very much into that mold, or, you know, had the committee work together on items, but she also was not at all intimidated about asking hard and tough questions.”
"…[I]t was Harris, ‘’’drawing on her experience as a prosecutor, who laid out expectations for what senators and staff should be doing and how they should divvy up responsibilities’’’. …[W]hen other senators hesitated … it was Harris who pushed them… (And indeed, the GOP-led panel would end upsubpoenaing Donald Trump Jr.and interviewing Trump’s son-in-law,Jared Kushner, twice.)
“They came out of there saying, ‘Wow, she fucking knows what she’s doing,’” …
"Though she was the most junior member … Harris developed a reputation as an effective interrogator of people appearing before the panel, drawing on her courtroom experience.
“I was glad I wasn’t on the other side of some of her questions,” said Maine Sen. Angus King… “She was very tough, but not, you know, not disagreeable, but just assertive.” Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, … concurred: “I thought her questions were sharp”….
"Her Intelligence Committee stint also gave Harris unique insight into what would become the defining challenge of U.S. foreign policy: Russia’s [aggression]. …
"…Harris knew she needed foreign policy experience….Schumer appointed her to the panel despite the fact that another Californian, Dianne Feinstein, was already on it. (Leadership rarely appoints two members from the same state, one former staffer said.)
. . .
"‘’’new members are typically given some basic orientation material: primers on what the more than a dozen U.S. spy agencies do, help understanding the acronym soup of technical intelligence collection and high-level briefings with senior officials.’’’
"They’re given access to classified intelligence … take field trips to facilities run by intelligence agencies … travel abroad and … sometimes get a chance to meet with top CIA and defense intelligence officials stationed abroad or foreign spy chiefs. Harris … She took a Middle East trip with Burr, then-chairman, in 2018 that took her to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among other places.
. . . .
… When a controversial electronic spy authority came up for renewal in 2017, ’’’Harris acted as a liaison’’’ …. The thorniest issue in the debate … whether to renew …Section 702, i.e.,to require search warrants when querying intelligence databases for information about Americans.
. . .
"Harris [initially] voted against the reauthorization.Though when the Biden administration opposed a warrant requirement … this year, Harris largely stayed silent during the debate.
. . . .
https://www.notus.org/harris-2024/how-russiagate-built-kamala-harris-reputation-senate
"NOTUS is … a product of … a new journalism education org founded by Robert Allbritton,the former publisher of POLITICO." https://www.notus.org/announcements/welcome-to-notus
~J. Scott Applewhite/AP (photo)~