GOP Rep Goes on Wild ‘DEI’ Rant Against Kamala Harris: ‘What About White Females?’
It’s just the latest instance of racially coded right-wing attacks on President Joe Biden’s chosen successor.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) complained Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris was a “DEI hire” and lamented how “white females” weren’t considered for her role—the latest instance of racially coded right-wing attacks on President Joe Biden’s chosen successor.
When interviewed by CNN Capitol Hill correspondent Manu Raju, Burchett faulted Biden for pledging in early 2020 to pick a woman as his running mate. Biden, after racial unrest became a prominent election issue later in the campaign season, ended up choosing between four Black women.
“Biden said, first off, he said he’s going to hire a Black female for vice president and… he just skipped over—what about, what about white females? What about any other group?” Burchett griped. “When you go down that route, you take mediocrity, and that’s what they have right now as a vice president.”
When Raju followed up by asking if Burchett thought Harris, whose mother was Indian and her father from Jamaica, was a “DEI hire,” he emphatically agreed.
“100 percent. She was a DEI hire,” Burchett said. “Her record is abysmal at best.”
While DEI stands for “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives, it has been used as a smear by some.
A recent New York Post headline, for instance, blared that “America may soon be subjected to the country’s first DEI president: Kamala Harris.”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The “DEI” label isn’t the only type of attack that the right has been making against Harris. Former Trump White House official Sebastian Gorka, for instance, not only called Harris a “DEI hire,” but “colored,” during a Newsmax interview earlier this month.
Others, including former Trump lawyer John Eastman, have revived the “birther” conspiracy theory, insisting that Harris, who was born in California, isn’t a natural-born citizen.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.