CNN’s Daniel Dale said Thursday on “Newsnight” that Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’ answer on fracking during her interview with anchor Dana Bash was inaccurate.
Dale said, “The fact check bottom line is that she did not actually make clear at a 2020 debate that she had changed her previous support for a fracking ban. So let me take you through this kind of saga so here’s what she said at a CNN climate town hall in 2019 on the subject of a fracking ban.”
At a 2019 town hall an audience member asked, “Will you commit to implementing a federal ban on fracking your first day in office, adding the United States, the list of countries have banned this devastating practice.”
Harris said, “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking yes.”
Dale said, “That was quite clear so she ended her 2020 presidential run in December 2019. The only debate she participated in in 2020 was the general election debate with then-vice president Mike Pence. I went over the transcript of that debate tonight. Nowhere in there does she make clear that she had abandoned her previous support for a fracking ban. Rather, she repeated that Joe Biden, the head of the Democratic ticket at the time, would himself not ban fracking. Listen to what she actually said in a 2020.”
At the 2020 vice presidential debate, Harris said, “Joe Biden will not ban fracking, he has been very clear about that I will repeat and the American people now that Joe Biden will not ban fracking.”
Dale said, “So it makes perfect sense that at the time she was speaking on behalf of Biden, the president, not the vice president, sets administration policy, but maybe other people feel differently. I certainly did not hear anywhere in there Kamala Harris saying she personally had abandoned her 2019 view rather she was speaking for Joe Biden.”
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