A new book claims that a communications director for former Vice President Kamala Harris created a list of federal judges appointed by Republicans who could have sworn Harris in as president should President Joe Biden unexpectedly die.
The book, titled “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House”, is written by political journalists Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill.
According to the book, Harris’s then White House communications director, Jamal Simmons, is said to have prepared a communications strategy for such an eventuality, writes Fox News.
The book says that Simmons imagined that an “unexpected loss” of Biden would be similar to when Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Simmons is said to have been concerned that people would question Harris’s legitimacy as president, and especially for reactions from “Trump people”.
He therefore allegedly created a spreadsheet with the names of such judges across the country, down to a city-by-city breakdown, which he allegedly carried with him when he travelled with Harris.
Simmons allegedly did not tell Harris about this list until he left her staff in January 2023, but he is said to have instructed colleagues to notify him immediately if anything happened to Biden so that he could implement the communication strategy.
According to the book, Simmons eventually turned the spreadsheet over to another member of Harris’ staff.
The book does not specify which judges were included on the list. Harris, who was previously a senator from California, is now affiliated with CAA Speakers.
The book also details how former President Barack Obama was hesitant to endorse Harris in the 2024 election, due in part to concerns about Biden’s mental health and doubts about their political abilities.
According to the book, Obama didn’t think Harris could beat Donald Trump in the November 2024 election, which frustrated Harris.
“Fight” details how Trump secured the White House for a second term and the consequences of his victory for the Democratic Party.
Neither CAA Speakers nor Kamala Harris has so far commented on the book.