The 2020 race is underway.
And one top Democrat thought their performance in the Brett Kavanaugh hearings was their ticket to the White House.
But now this major sex scandal just put their career on the rocks.
California Senator Kamala Harris is expected to be one of the leading Democrat contenders for the 2020 nomination.
As a black woman, she is the dream candidate for a party hung up on identity politics and racial and gender grievances.
Harris believed her aggressive posture in the Brett Kavanaugh hearings was a star performance and would elevate her above what could be as many as 30 other candidates.
However, Harris has a big problem on her hands.
It turns out she had an accused sexual harasser operating right under her nose.
Larry Wallace worked as the director of the Division of Law Enforcement under Harris when she was California’s, Attorney General.
In 2016, Danielle Hartley filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Wallace.
It was settled in 2017 when Harris had moved onto the Senate and had installed Wallace as one of her top advisors.
Hartley’s lawsuit described a period of time where Wallace allegedly harassed her, including asking her to replace office equipment so he could watch her bend over.
“This included Wallace placing his printer underneath his desk on the floor and ordering Hartley to put paper in [his] printer or replace the ink on a daily basis,” Hartley’s lawsuit alleged. “Hartley requested that the printer be moved to another location so she would not have to bend down on her knees under the desk in her dresses and skirts, but Wallace refused.”
Harris claimed that as soon as she was made aware of the lawsuit and settlement that she demanded and accepted Wallace’s resignation.
“We were unaware of this issue and take accusations of harassment extremely seriously,” Lily Adams, a spokesperson for Harris, said in a statement. “This evening, Mr. Wallace offered his resignation to the senator and she accepted it.”
Harris tried to position herself as a champion of the MeToo movement.
But it turned out she had an alleged harasser working right under her nose for years.
In the upcoming Democrat presidential primary, candidates will be judged not only on their policy records but for their commitment to “social justice.”
Democrat primary voters will examine every aspect of their lives under a microscope to weed out any “problematic” candidates.
Harris employing Wallace for years while he allegedly harassed a female co-worker is a strike against her.
And her opponents are sure to use it against her too.
With so many candidates in the race, lower profile candidates will be searching around for targets like Harris to punch up at.
Leveling blistering criticism at Harris for keeping an alleged harasser on staff could give less-known candidates much needed media oxygen and relevance in the race.
We will keep you up to date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
