CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale disputed the claim that Vice President Kamala Harris “made it clear” that she did not support a ban on fracking in 2020.
Harris, a potential 2024 Democratic candidate, has drawn public attention in recent weeks for reversing her policies on fracking and other issues from the far-left positions she supported in the last election, in which she called for a total ban on the practice in 2019.
Harris was asked point-blank during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash on Thursday whether she still supports a ban on fracking.
“No, I made it clear in the 2020 debates that I would not ban fracking,” Harris said. “As vice president, I did not ban fracking, and I will not ban fracking as president.”
NBC's Chuck Todd criticizes Kamala Harris for “mistake” in avoiding coverage: “Any missteps” will be “fully scrutinized.”
After completely reversing her far-left stance in 2019, Vice President Kamala Harris raised some eyebrows when she told CNN's Dana Bash that her “values haven't changed.” (Screenshot/CNN)
When asked if her position on fracking had changed during the 2020 election cycle, Harris doubled down, telling Bash, “In 2020, I made my position clear. It's 2024, and I haven't changed my position, and I don't plan to change it. I kept my promise, and I will continue to keep my promise.”
“The conclusion of the fact check is that she did not actually disclose during the 2020 debates that she had changed her previous support for a ban on fracking,” Dale responded in a report following the CNN interview.
Kamala Harris gives first CNN interview after weeks of avoiding the press, with Tim Waltz joining
CNN's Daniel Dale fact-checked the claim that Harris made her position on fracking “very clear” during the 2020 presidential campaign. (Screenshot/CNN)
“There's no question that I'm in favor of a ban on fracking,” Dale said in 2019, before pointing to Harris' comments during the vice presidential debate, where she said, “Joe Biden is not going to end fracking. He's been very clear on that.”
“Of course, she was speaking on behalf of Mr. Biden at the time. Although the President, not the Vice President, sets policy for the administration, others may have different opinions. Absolutely nowhere have I heard Kamala Harris say that she personally abandoned the views she expressed in 2019. Rather, she was speaking on behalf of Joe Biden,” Dale concluded.
CNN anchor: Did Harris 'wait too long' to schedule her first interview?
Dale isn't the only liberal journalist to criticize Harris, with NBC News reporter Yamiche Alcindor also criticizing her for not explaining her policy shift, writing, “Harris keeps saying, 'My values haven't changed,' but she hasn't explained why her position has changed.”
Harris has faced intense scrutiny as the Democratic candidate after not giving interviews for weeks. (Reuters/Kevin Wurm)
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Harris waited nearly 40 days after emerging as the Democratic nominee to give an interview, and her reluctance to hold a press conference or give interviews drew criticism that intensified after last week's Democratic National Convention.
The vice presidential candidate was also criticized for conducting her first interview with fellow running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, rather than alone.
