Sources close to Joe Biden “believe” he’s narrowed down his running mate choice to either Senator Kamala Harris or former Benghazi propagandist Susan Rice.
According to a report from Axios, confidants of Joe Biden say they would be “surprised” if he picks anyone else. He is expected to announce his choice in about a week.
Rep. Karen Bass had emerged as a likely contender, but recent revelations about her positions on Cuba, communism, and Scientology likely have taken her out of the running.
Both Harris and Rice come with baggage for Biden.
Harris delivered scathing attacks on Biden during the primary debates, accusing him of being racist for his past support for busing, and his support of Democrat segregationists. Rice repeatedly lied to the American people after the 2012 terrorist attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi, which she claimed, on television, was the result of a spontaneous protest that got out of hand. Rice’s repeated claim was part of a deliberate misinformation campaign during the weeks before the 2012 presidential election. Rice has also been implicated in the unmasking of Trump campaign officials scandal, and in 2016 she also personally gave the “stand-down” order to Obama’s cybersecurity czar, which led to Russian election interference.
Last week, Politico accidentally published on their running mate tracker page that “Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris to become his running mate for the 2020 election on Aug. 1, two weeks before the Democratic National Convention, after keeping his choice close to the chest for months.” The page was quickly updated and Politico claimed the update was made in error, and that all candidates on the shortlist had pre-written text ready to go for publication once the announcement was made. Biden did not make his pick on August 1, but it still suggests that Harris is favored, as the detail in the write-up suggested advance knowledge.
Huh?
Politico labeled Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden's running mate… that he chose on August 1 (4 days from now).https://t.co/M3dhmIwZ7o pic.twitter.com/99GDHzWPnL
— Mark Bednar (@MarkBednar) July 28, 2020
The Trump campaign reportedly is hoping that Biden picks Susan Rice.
“She is absolutely our No. 1 draft pick,” a Trump campaign official told Politico.
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Matt Margolis is the author of the new book Airborne: How The Liberal Media Weaponized The Coronavirus Against Donald Trump, and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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