Vice President Kamala Harris insisted she was the “last person in the room” when President Joe Biden made a major decision, but a new report shows she does not question his leadership during major international crises.
Harris did not back down from Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, even though her national security adviser Philip H. Gordon warned her that the plan could have disastrous consequences. according to to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, citing anonymous sources.
The news is consistent with a report in the Wall Street Journal that Gordon had advised Harris and the Biden administration to leave behind a residual force to prevent the Taliban from quickly taking power.
But ultimately Harris sided with the president.
Harris told CNN that she was the last person in the room when Biden made his decision to leave Afghanistan and that she was at peace with it.
National security insiders say Harris supports the president in all of his foreign policy decisions
It appears that Vice President Biden has not challenged Biden on foreign policy, as the President prides himself on his long-standing service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Harris’ respect for Biden is a striking difference from the attitude he took when Biden was vice president to President Barack Obama.
Biden is famous questioned Obama’s decision to launch a mission to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and also advised him against keeping troops in Afghanistan.
Harris also supports Biden’s positions on the war in Ukraine, as the federal government has spent more than $175 billion on aid, weapons and ammunition for the country.
However, Harris is “not convinced” that allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at Russia is a good idea, the report said, even though Biden is considering it.
Putin warned the United States that it would be “at war with Russia” if it allowed Ukraine to use long-range weapons, and threatened a military response.
Advisers say Harris also supports Biden on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They say the vice president believes Israel has the right to defend itself but should take more steps to limit civilian casualties.
Kamala Harris salutes as she boards Air Force 2
While some felt the vice president was more considerate of the plight of the Palestinians than Biden, she was cautious in her assessment in her speech to the Democratic National Committee by expressing support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
Ultimately, Ignatius concludes, Harris would “continue the traditional bipartisan consensus on foreign policy,” which would be tested if former President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Trump has pledged to negotiate with Ukraine and Russia to end the war if he is re-elected and to resume a maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
“I think it’s in the interest of the United States to finish this war and just get it done. OK. Negotiate a deal,” he said during the ABC News debate on Tuesday.
Harris spoke about the decision-making process with Biden during a interview with CNN in April 2021.
“There are many times when I ask his opinion on things, he asks my opinion and through that process I think we get to a good place. And of course, at the end of the day, he’s the president and he makes the final decision,” she said.