Kevin McCarthy slams ‘stupid and dumb’ Republicans for calling Kamala Harris a ‘DEI hire’

On Monday, GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee accused presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris — who served as the San Francisco district attorney, the California attorney general, and a US senator before becoming the first woman, first  African-American, and first Asian-American vicepresident in the nation’s history — of making it only because of her race.

Burchett, a hard-right Republican, told CNN’s Manu Raju that in selecting Harris, President Joe Biden “[j]ust skipped over… white females.”

“Are you suggesting she was a DEI hire?” Raju asked, using the acronym for “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” programs meant to provide opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups.

“One hundred percent, she was a DEI hire,” Burchett replied, later posting on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, “The media propped up this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then dumped him for our DEI vice president.”

On Tuesday, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican who was ousted last year from his seat by the GOP’s ultra MAGA wing, called the DEI line of attack “totally stupid and dumb.”

Appearing on NBC News’ Meet the Press NOW, McCarthy told anchor Garrett Haake that attacking Harris along racial lines is “petty.”

“Look, I disagree with DEI, but she is the vice president of the United States,” McCarthy said. “She is the former U.S. senator. These congressmen that are saying it, they’re wrong in their own instincts.”

Rep. Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and the current House speaker, said at a press conference yesterday, “Listen, this election, as I noted at the onset, is going to be about policies, not personalities. This is not personal