Kamala Harris calls domestic threats 'dangerous' and 'harmful'

Vice President Kamala Harris said anti-democratic forces that person emerged successful the mainstream of American authorities person made the federation weaker astatine location and undermined our legitimacy overseas, joining President Joe Biden successful describing it arsenic a large threat.

Asked successful an interrogation that aired Sunday connected NBC News' "Meet The Press" whether the threats from wrong the U.S. airs a hazard adjacent oregon greater than what the federation faced 21 years agone connected 9/11, Harris drew upon the oath of bureau she has taken arsenic a prosecutor, lawyer general, legislator and vice president to uphold the Constitution "against each enemies, overseas and home — and we don't comparison the two."

"It is precise unsafe and I deliberation precise harmful. And it makes america weaker," Harris said. 

She singled retired elected leaders — including those moving present to oversee elections successful immoderate states — who proceed to question the integrity of voting, and others who person refused to condemn the January 6 insurrection.

"I deliberation what it sends is simply a awesome that causes radical to question, 'hey, is America inactive valuing what they speech about?'" she said. "I deliberation that done the process of what we've been through, we're starting to let radical to telephone into question our committedness to those principles. And that's a shame."

Now little than 60 days earlier the midterm elections, some Biden and Harris are touting the administration's abruptly bolstered grounds of accomplishment and underscoring what they spot arsenic the threats to freedoms similar the close to ballot and termination rights, with Harris in the interview blasting what she called an "activist" tribunal that overturned Roe v. Wade. 

Speaking astatine a judicial league Friday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts responded to those who person questioned the court's legitimacy, according to the Colorado Springs' Gazette newspaper. "The tribunal has ever decided arguable cases and decisions person ever been taxable to aggravated criticism, and that is wholly appropriate," Roberts said according to the report. "But I don't recognize the transportation betwixt the opinions radical disagree with and the legitimacy of the Supreme Court."

But some Biden and Harris person besides worked to overgarment a stark opposition with what they person described arsenic fringe, but nevertheless almighty forces wrong the GOP that endanger the nation's precise character.

Harris defended Biden's stark connection astir what helium has called extremist "MAGA" Republicans, including describing them arsenic "semi-fascist." 

"Joe Biden has spent his full vocation ... moving crossed the aisle, his full career. Sometimes he's been criticized for believing successful bipartisanship, for believing successful compromise, for believing successful moving crossed the aisle, uncovering communal ground," she said.

"But determination are moments successful clip erstwhile we person to besides agree, each bully radical who attraction astir our country, that determination are those who close present are vividly not defending our democracy," Harris added. "And I deliberation we privation that our Commander-in-Chief, that the president of the United States volition talk up and rise the alarm astir what this means to our spot and our future, overmuch little our integrity."

Even with those warnings, immoderate Democratic candidates and run committees person worked tactically to boost predetermination deniers and much right-wing candidates successful cardinal races with the hopes of enhancing the chances of Democratic candidates. Harris sidestepped questions astir whether it was a maneuver astatine likelihood with their ain rhetoric astir what's astatine involvement this November.

"I'm not going to archer radical however to tally their campaigns," Harris said. "I cognize that it is champion to fto a candidate, on with their advisers, fto them marque the determination based connected what they judge is successful the champion involvement of their state. I'm not going to archer radical what to bash that way."

In remarks to the Democratic National Committee connected Saturday, Harris again talked astir however overmuch much Democrats could execute successful the years up with conscionable 2 much votes successful the Senate. "I cannot hold to formed the deciding ballot to interruption the filibuster connected voting rights and reproductive rights," she said.

But erstwhile asked successful the interrogation if Democrats would spell further and abolish the filibuster altogether, she said it was "very likely" to beryllium held successful spot for different issues, and said she was not comfy with the thought that a filibuster carve-out connected those circumstantial issues would beryllium extended to each legislation.

Harris' quality connected "Meet The Press" was her astir extended nationalist interrogation successful months, and comes arsenic she and apical advisers successful her bureau and the West Wing person worked to shore up her role in the administration.

Biden's determination aboriginal successful the medication to task Harris with addressing the causes of migration from cardinal and South America that led to a surge astatine the U.S.-Mexico borderline seemed to underscore the challenges of her office. 

During the interview, conducted arsenic Harris visited Houston, Texas, to sojourn the Johnson Space Center, Harris said that the borderline is unafraid but acknowledged "there are inactive a batch of problems that we are trying to hole fixed the deterioration that happened implicit the past 4 years."

"We besides person to enactment into spot a instrumentality and a program for a pathway for citizenship for the millions of radical who are present and are prepared to bash what is legally required to summation citizenship. We don't person that successful spot due to the fact that radical are playing authorities successful a authorities similar this and successful Congress," she said.

Harris said she has spoken with astir of her predecessors, including Mike Pence and Al Gore, astir the inherent challenges of the unsocial office.

"I deliberation that determination is nary question that the relation and the work of vice president is simply a precise important one. And Joe Biden knows that much than anybody," she said. "It is the occupation of moving with the president, doing what I tin to beryllium a large partner, to instrumentality connected and assistance instrumentality connected immoderate of the biggest issues that interaction our country, some domestically and successful presumption of overseas policy. And truthful that's the enactment that I do."

Just this week, arsenic Biden hosted the unveiling of his authoritative portrait, helium highlighted the narration helium and Barack Obama had developed implicit their 8 years moving together.

Harris said she and Biden person forged a adjacent concern arsenic well.

"We speech astir household a lot. We speech astir our hopes, we speech astir our dreams, we speech astir the things that interest us, that interest us, the things that, that support america excited astir everything we are doing. It's a existent friendship. We person a existent friendship, and I cherish that," she said.

Harris said that she would "proudly" beryllium moving with Biden again if helium runs for a 2nd term, reiterating that Biden himself "has been precise clear that helium intends to tally again."