Vice President Kamala Harris declined to chair a joint address to Congress with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday because she is in Indiana for a previously scheduled event, an aide said.
Harris, who became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on Monday after President Biden suspended his campaign, will not attend the speech and will not be able to chair it.
If Harris does not attend, that role would normally fall to Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.), but Murray has reportedly refused and plans to boycott the speech instead.
Kamala Harris praises Biden’s ‘unparalleled’ record of success in first remarks since announcing 2024 presidential candidacy
Kamala Harris reportedly refused to chair a joint parliamentary address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Getty Images)
Attempts to reach Murray’s office for comment were unsuccessful.
When asked whether VP Harris would have agreed to moderate Netanyahu’s speech if she had visited Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, an aide to the vice president said she would not answer hypothetical questions.
Netanyahu received an invitation from bipartisan leaders of both chambers of parliament in May and is due to address lawmakers in a joint address on Wednesday.
Wes Moore, a rising star among Democratic governors, endorses Kamala Harris
Murray is reportedly going to boycott the speech. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)
In both Harris and Murray’s absence, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who is retiring at the end of this Congress, will act as chair instead.
According to a White House official, while Netanyahu is speaking, Harris will be attending the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Grand Boule, a biennial international conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Kamala Harris has brushed off concerns about Biden’s mental competency for months.
Cardin will moderate the speech. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Although Harris will not attend, aides stressed that her absence and refusal to chair the meeting will not be seen as a change in her position on Israel.
Aides to the vice president told Fox News Digital that Netanyahu will meet with them at the White House this week while he’s in Washington, D.C. The aides noted that the meeting is separate from Biden’s planned meeting with the prime minister.
Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee on Monday. (Bizayev Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Click here to get the FOX News app
Harris is expected to reiterate her commitment to Israel’s ability to defend itself against Iran and its backed militias, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Aides said she plans to condemn the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and the sexual violence that occurred.
The vice president will also express concerns she has already expressed about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where much of the fighting is taking place. Harris is expected to further convey that the war must end quickly, in a way that ensures Israel’s security, ensures the release of all hostages, and restores the rights of Gaza civilians. In particular, Harris is scheduled to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Get the latest 2024 election campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
