CNN panel clashes over whether Harris has spoken with the press: 'She has not engaged yet'
CNN host Abby Phillip clashed with CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers on Sunday over Vice President Harris' engagement with the press since taking President Biden's place at the top of the ticket.
"Kamala Harris has stuff to prove in the debate, too," Sellers began, as Phillip noted the vice president had a lot to prove before the debate too.
Harris has gone 29 days without giving a press conference or sitting down for a formal interview with a member of the press since emerging as the nominee for president after Biden dropped out of the race. Harris has said that she plans to schedule an interview by the end of August.
"She has not engaged yet," Phillip said, as another panelist insisted that Harris just became the nominee. "She has not engaged in any pressing interactions on anything, really."
CNN HOST PRESSES HARRIS CAMPAIGN SPOX ON VP'S SCHEDULE AS SHE AVOIDS PRESS: ‘SHE HAS TIME’ FOR AN INTERVIEW
"Well that's not true, that's absolutely not true," Sellers said. Harris has spoken to reporters briefly at some campaign stops, including on Sunday in Pennsylvania.
Phillips argued Harris' lack of media appearances would end up being an issue for her, but Sellers disagreed.
"First of all, that’s not an issue. I believe that the fact that the mainstream media and many people in D.C. are consumed with the fact that she won‘t sit down with them or do media interviews has posed a problem for them, because what we‘ve seen, poll after poll, individual after individual, voter after voter, is that when she’s out in Wisconsin, when she’s out in Arizona, when she‘s out in Pennsylvania, and actually talking to voters, that matters a lot more. And I think that we‘re seeing the inherent value of that," Sellers said.
Sellers also