GOP leaders warn members to lay off ‘DEI’ attacks against Kamala Harris: report

Republican leadership warned party members to stop attacking Kamala Harris with identity and raced-based insults — and instead focus on policy, Politico reported Tuesday evening.

GOP congressional members met behind closed doors Tuesday in an attempt to redirect attacks away from Harris’ identity, people in attendance told Politico.

In the wake of Joe Biden exiting the presidential race, Republicans haven’t held back on criticizing Harris as a “DEI hire” for rapidly gaining the backing of the Democratic party.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Politico he wants to shift the conversation to Harris’ record as Biden’s vice president.

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“This should not be about personalities. It should be about policy. And we have a record to compare,” Johnson told the outlet after the meeting. “This has nothing to do with race. It has to do with the competence of the person running for president, the relative strength of the two candidates and what ideas they have on how to solve America’s problems.”

For some lawmakers, attacks on Harris have turned public discourse from focusing on Democrats' weakness to Republican conduct, which isn’t the conversation they want to be having, according to the outlet.

A house member told Politico on the condition of anonymity that Republicans are fumbling the ball with low blows against Harris.

“We have everything going our way and you just can’t handle that?” the unnamed lawmaker told Politico. “We’ll give you a cheat sheet if you don’t know what else to talk about.”