Former Obama official defends Harris not talking to press if it 'helps her win:' 'Tone it down folks'

Amid calls for Vice President Harris to demonstrate her competence with unscripted media appearances, one former Obama official scolded those complaining to "tone it down" because the only thing that matters is winning.

Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Obama, said Harris has no "moral obligation" to speak to the press if it doesn’t benefit her campaign.

"The paramount objective for @KamalaHarris is to win this election," the NBC News international affairs analyst said on X. "If a press conference helps her win, she should do it. If not, she shouldn’t do it. It’s just that simple. She has no ‘moral obligation’ to talk to the press. Tone it down folks."

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Some social media users noticed, however, that McFaul has made precisely the opposite argument in the past.

Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins pointed to a 2019 post from McFaul.

After a Moscow reporter asked Edward Snowden, "Is it true that you don't want to talk to Russian journalists? If yes, why?" McFaul had responded, "Good question from @ElenaChernenko to @Snowden. People who believe in truth and transparency should not be afraid of the press."

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Another user shared that in December 2022, McFaul wrote a similar statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "Putin canceled his traditional end-of-the-year press conferences. When things are going badly, even facing a very controlled press corps is unpleasant."

McFaul responded to a Trump interview in 2020 by arguing, "Journalists in democracies are supposed to ask tough questions!"

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