Kamala Harris adopted the words of a Republican lawyer when she testified before Congress in 2007, a CNN review of her testimony has found.
Experts interviewed by CNN said the incident, first reported by conservative news channel Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday, was disturbing but not a serious example of plagiarism. The incident occurred when Harris was San Francisco's district attorney. At the time, she testified before the House Judiciary Committee in favor of the John R. Justice Prosecutor and Defense Incentive Act of 2007, which would have created a student loan repayment program for local and state prosecutors and public defenders. Her prepared testimony included portions of the prepared testimony of Paul Rogli, then a Republican prosecutor in Illinois and chief executive of the National District Attorneys Association, who testified before the Senate two months earlier. Those sections use the same investigation and nearly identical language. Harris was on the board of directors of the National District Attorneys Association at the time, according to her statement. CNN reached out to Rogli for comment but did not receive a response. Rogli told the Free Beacon he remembers the organization conducting the investigation and writing the opening statement. He said the organization likely used a similar statement to remain consistent with its position. "Kamala Harris represented the Attorney General of California as a member of the NDAA Board and testified in that capacity two months later before the House Judiciary Committee," he told the Beacon. "I believe she also relied on the support of NDAA staff during her opening statement." Harris' campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Read more about the statement here
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