© Getty ImagesFirst Lady Jill Biden
The first lady's vexations were revealed in a bombshell new book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns titled This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future, due to be released in May.
After learning that Harris was the leading candidate for the job, according to an excerpt of the book provided to Fox News, Jill Biden said:
"There are millions of people in the United States. Why do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?"Many from Biden's inner circle, however, believed that Harris would give the president the best chance of winning the election, according to the book.
Ron Klain, the current White House chief of staff who was tasked with vetting VP candidates, believed that Harris was the best-qualified candidate for the position. The book states:
"Yes, Harris had attacked Biden more harshly than any other major candidate in the Democratic primaries. Yes, the Biden family had seen it as a smear and a betrayal. In Klain's assessment, that would work to Biden's advantage. Choosing Harris will show people that you are magnanimous and forgiving, Klain told Biden. It will show the country just what a unifying leader you can be."
© Getty ImagesKamala Harris and Joe Biden exchanges during the first Democratic presidential debate. Center: Bernie Sanders looks bored.
Martin and Burns' new book also details Joe Biden's hesitance to choose Harris, citing her past romantic relationship with Willie Brown, the former San Francisco mayor who had appointed Harris to "a pair of minor political positions."
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are noted in the book as other potential running makes [sic mates] his campaign considered, as well as other lawmakers and activists, such as Stacey Abrams.
Abrams, the book says, "did not pass the test" for VP candidate after the campaign lost confidence in her ability to rally voters after losing the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election. Biden's team also had concerns about her lack of experience as an elected official.
Harris was believed to be Biden's safest best for winning the White House, despite her attacks on Biden. A close adviser to Biden said in the book:
"You know, white women are incredibly racist, as are white men. None of it was safe. It was a risky thing to do. But it was the safest of choices that we had."According to a book published last year — Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats' Campaigns to Defeat Trump, by Edward-Isaac Dovere — Jill Biden told supporters on a conference call that Harris should "go f-k" herself for attacking her husband during the Democratic primaries.
The first lady notably did not deny that she made the remark, telling a reporter last year "That was two years ago. We've moved on from that."
Comment: If Harris was 'the best candidate' what does that say about the other contenders - given smarts, talent, experience and decorum were off the list?