'Oh man': Kamala Harris' explanation for accepting these campaign contributions is going to require 'one hell of a flip flop'

Sarah D | 4:44 PM on July 15, 2019

Looks like Kamala Harris has got some more ‘splaining to do:

Kamala Harris said the work of the law firm that represented Jeffrey Epstein “calls into question the integrity of our legal system.”

Later that day, her husband headlined a Chicago fundraiser hosted by six partners of that firm. https://t.co/jgaSwWUACI

— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) July 15, 2019

More from the AP:

Kamala Harris bemoaned the influence of the powerful and connected elite last Tuesday when she called on top Justice Department officials to recuse themselves from any matter related to Jeffrey Epstein. She said their former law firm’s work on behalf of the financier accused of sexual abuse “calls into question the integrity of our legal system.”

Yet the same day, Harris’ husband headlined a Chicago fundraiser for her presidential campaign that was hosted by six partners of that firm — Kirkland and Ellis, according to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press.

Harris, a California senator and Democratic presidential candidate, was one of several White House hopefuls to blast the handling of Epstein’s case in Florida a decade ago, when his lawyers negotiated a deal with federal prosecutors that allowed him to avoid the possibility of years in prison. But her decision to move ahead with the fundraiser hosted by Kirkland and Ellis partners while criticizing the firm underscores the tension that can arise when a politician’s rhetoric collides with their need to raise money to sustain a presidential campaign.

“If any connection with Kirkland and Ellis is a stain on (senior Justice Department officials), why isn’t a connection with the law firm for the receipt of campaign contributions a stain on her own campaign?” said Paul S. Ryan, an attorney for the good government group Common Cause.

Good question!