Firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz is on the hunt for proof that Vice President Kamala Harris was the so-called “border czar” now that her team is attempting to distance her from the moniker.
Gaetz (R-Fla.) blasted out a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday demanding it fork over documents that could prove she was the “border czar.”
“Vice President Kamala Harris was, in March 2021, tasked by President Joe Biden to be the ‘border czar,'” Gaetz wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “However, Vice President Harris has, weirdly, recently denied this fact.”
Back in March 2021, President Biden tasked Harris with tackling the “root causes” of the migrant crisis, including via diplomatic initiatives. It took her about three months before she ventured down to the US-Mexico border.
At least 8 million migrants are estimated to have poured into the country under the Biden administration.
Harris was quickly dubbed Biden’s “border czar,” reflecting the responsibility she was given. Some media outlets who have recently denounced the moniker have since been forced to admit to using that title in the past.
Harris’ allies insist she was never formally called the “border czar” by the president.
Polls have generally shown that the border crisis remains top of mind for scores of voters and Harris’ allies are working to downplay her record on that front.
Last month, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution “strongly condemning” Harris and the administration over their performance on the border.
As part of his demands, Gaetz is demanding the DHS cough up communications between Harris’ office and DHS employees between March 24, 2021, and March 24, 2022, that used terms like “czar.”
He is also seeking communications over the same time span from DHS that referred to Harris as the “czar” or “lead,” as well as any internal documents that described Harris as having some sort of stakeholder position in the department’s decisions.
Gaetz is demanding the material by Aug. 30.
Last week, the Harris campaign put out an ad promoting her stance on the border and faulting former President Donald Trump for the failure of a bipartisan reform package to remedy the crisis.