Pa. Gov. Shapiro calls Harris’ account of VP vetting ‘complete and utter bull----’

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sharply rejected passages in Kamala Harris’ new memoir that describe his behavior during the 2024 vice-presidential vetting process, calling the former vice president’s portrayal “blatant lies” and “complete and utter bull----” in an interview published Wednesday.

In her book “107 Days,” Harris wrote that Shapiro, while under consideration as her running mate, asked extensive questions and sought unusual perks — including arranging to borrow artwork from the Smithsonian for the Pennsylvania governor’s residence — and that she had to remind him a vice president is “not a co-president.”

“She wrote that in her book? That’s complete and utter bull----,” Shapiro told The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta. “I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies.”

Shapiro acknowledged asking many questions during the process but said that was natural for anyone contemplating a potential national partnership. When asked if he felt betrayed by Harris’ depiction, he replied, “She’s trying to sell books. Period.”

Harris ultimately selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the unsuccessful 2024 campaign against President Donald Trump.

The book also details Harris’ reservations about other contenders, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. She wrote that Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner — if I were a straight white man,” citing concerns that adding an openly gay running mate to a ticket already seeking to make history with a Black and South Asian woman would be “too big of a risk.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shapiro, a Democrat widely seen as a rising star in the party, had been considered a frontrunner for the No. 2 spot before Harris chose Walz. The Minnesota governor later faced scrutiny over past misstatements about his military service.