Kamala Harris book publisher directing very sensitive plagiarism questions to higher-ups

The publisher of Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2009 book on criminal justice reform is redirecting “very sensitive” inquiries about apparently plagiarized passages to the highest levels, according to the conservative activist who revealed the copying.Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo — who first unveiled the plagiarism allegations on Monday — posted screenshots of leaked internal emails ordering publicity reps at Chronicle Books not to immediately respond to press inquiries about “Smart on Crime.”Chronicle executive director of marketing and publicity Lauren Hoffman asked for all inquiries to be forwarded to her, with one employee on the email chain emphasizing that the accusations touched on “a very sensitive topic.”“Kamala Harris’s publisher, Chronicle Books, is in damage control mode,” Rufo crowed on X.“They know Kamala lied.

They know that we know Kamala lied.In America, plagiarism has become a moral pillar of the regime—and they will slander anyone who notices.”Rufo posted five examples from the book in which passages nearly matched or were identical to wording used in press reports, academic studies and even a Wikipedia entry — all of which preceded the book’s publication.The allegedly plagiarized sections came from a Bureau of Justice Assistance report in 2000, an Urban Institute report in 2004, a John Jay College of Criminal Justice press release describing a 2007 award, an Associated Press article in 2008, and a Wikipedia article‘s wording in a 2008 iteration.In a statement to Semafor, Harris’ campaign dismissed the allegations of plagiarism as efforts by “rightwing operatives” who “are getting desperate” as the election approaches.Harris campaign spokesman James Singer told Semafor in a Monday statement: “This is a book that’s been out for 15 years, and the Vice President clearly cited sources and statistics in footnotes and endnotes throughout.”Two of the five examples cited the...