Vice President Kamala Harris, like her boss, has become known for her embarrassing and unforced errors.
On Saturday, Harris was speaking at a meeting hosted by the Democratic National Committee. She fumbled her prepared remarks, and the D.N.C. tweeted her words verbatim.
Critics said the Tweet played right into Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s hands by repeating Russian talking points.
“So, I will say what I know we all say and I will say over and over again,” Harris said. “The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO Alliance.”
Harris caused some confusion online, because she could have been implying that Ukraine is part of NATO.
Ukraine is not, in fact, a member of NATO. It is only an applicant for membership. NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe in the late 1990s and early 2000s is part of Putin’s argument that his bloody and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine was necessary.
Take a look —
Can someone explain to madam Vice President that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. 🤦🏼
— Donnie G (@DonGuerra3) March 12, 2022
The D.N.C. told Fox News in an email that Harris had accidentally gone off-script.
The White House published a transcript online, and it made a correction by adding the word “and” in brackets. The transcript says, “The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people [and] in defense of the NATO Alliance.”
Still, the D.N.C. didn’t catch Harris’ error early enough. The account @KamalaHarris tweeted Harris’ original remarks.
That account is run by the D.N.C., a Harris spokesperson told Fox News (Harris’ office uses another account: @VP.)
Then, @KamalaHarris deleted the tweet and posted a modified version… without labeling it as a correction.
At least the White House transcript acknowledged its correction!
Of course, this isn’t the first time this has happened. Since 2017, all @KamalaHarris’ deleted tweets have been archived by ProPublica. This deleted tweet says, among other things, “The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance,” without the word “and.”
Here’s the new tweet —
When I was in Poland, I met with U.S. and Polish service members, thanking them for standing with our NATO allies for freedom, peace, and security.
The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people and in defense of the NATO alliance. pic.twitter.com/Mt4vzAWglg
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 16, 2022
Harris made these remarks shortly after her return from Poland and Romania. In Poland, she faced criticism for awkwardly laughing when asked about a warplane deal and the millions of innocent people fleeing Ukraine and Europe’s massive refugee crisis.
Iulia Mendel, press secretary of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said recently on Twitter, “It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency,” according to a screenshot obtained by The Daily Mail.
Mendel appears to also have deleted the tweet.
The Horn editorial team