Washington (Trends Wide) — In his first interview since the repeal of Roe v. Wade on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris told Trends Wide’s Dana Bash that she never believed former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court picks, whom she voted against in the Senate, would preserve the historic abortion law.
“I never believed them. I didn’t believe them. That’s why I voted against them,” the vice president said in an interview Monday when Bash, pointing to previous statements by Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch underlining the precedent of Roe v. Wade asked Harris if she believed the two justices intentionally misled the public and Congress during the confirmation process.
“It was clear to me when I was sitting in that chair as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that it was … very likely that they would do what they just did. That was my perspective. That was my opinion. And that’s why I voted on the way I did.”
His comments come shortly after Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said publicly that she feels cheated by Kavanaugh, who she says assured her he would not overturn Roe v. Wade.
Harris, who was flying Air Force Two from Washington to Illinois on Friday to present the administration’s latest strategy to improve maternal health in the United States when the decision came, said she was surprised by the ruling.
“This is not over,” he added, referring to how he sees the intentions of the court’s conservative majority on other existing rights.
Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said in a concurring opinion for the ruling that the court should review other precedent cases guaranteeing rights related to same-sex marriage and contraception.
“I think he just said the quiet part out loud,” Harris said of Thomas. “And I think that’s why we all need to really understand the importance of what just happened. This is profound. And the way this decision has come about, it’s been so driven, I think, by the politics of the issue versus what should be the value we place on freedom in our country.
Harris said the administration will “do everything” in its power to defend access to medical abortion. And he suggested the administration is looking at ways to provide women in states where the procedure is banned with the resources they would need, such as child care and travel funding, to access it in other states.
However, in an apparent rejection of a growing call from Democratic lawmakers, Harris said the administration was not currently discussing the use of federal land for abortion services in and around states that ban the procedure.
“It’s not what we’re discussing right now,” Harris said.
Biden’s calls for abortion providers to work from federal property have raised concerns among some lawyers. And providing federal funding for women to travel out of state has the potential to conflict with the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortions in almost all cases.
A White House official made a similar argument Monday, saying: “While this proposal is well-intentioned, it could endanger women and providers. More importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees could potentially be prosecuted.”
Asked what else a Democratic-controlled White House, Senate and House of Representatives could do to protect abortion rights, Harris specifically pointed to Congress and the role the legislature could play in codifying abortion rights. abortion, if the Democrats had the votes. Harris repeatedly pointed to the importance of the 2022 midterm elections as an opportunity to elect more Democratic senators who support abortion rights.
But when asked if Congress might do something sooner if filibustering were eliminated in the Senate, he declined to say whether he would support removing the 60-vote threshold to pass abortion protections.
“I think (the president) has been clear about where we stand on this reproductive health issue and what the president and our administration can do, within their purview, and so far that’s what we’ve been pursuing.” Harris said.
Biden told Trends Wide’s Anderson Cooper at a town hall last year that he would be open to altering filibustering to pass voting rights legislation “and maybe more.”
During Monday’s wide-ranging interview, Harris stressed that inflation remains a top priority for the Biden administration. But he didn’t answer directly when asked if he thinks the United States is headed for a recession or if he discusses any new tools the administration could use to deal with rising prices.
“I think there can be no higher priority than what we have made clear is our top priority, which is to get costs and prices down as much as we can, and we will continue to focus on that,” the VP responded.
As the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection prepares for a surprise hearing on Tuesday, Bash asked Harris if the hearings so far have changed his perception of his predecessor.
Harris praised former Vice President Mike Pence “for having the courage to do his job” when he refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election despite pressure from Trump.
The vice president declined to say whether she would support criminal charges against Trump based on the findings presented by the commission.
Harris didn’t mince words when asked about 2024, as some critics have questioned the 79-year-old president running for re-election. Bash asked him about comments by House Majority Leader Jim Clyburn, a Biden ally who represents South Carolina, that if the president doesn’t run, Clyburn would endorse Harris by leading the ticket.
“Joe Biden will be running for re-election, and I will be his running mate,” Harris said. “New paragraph”.
— Trends Wide’s Kevin Liptak and Donald Judd contributed to this report.