In her first interview since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash that she “never believed” former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, specifically Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, whom she voted against in the Senate, would uphold the landmark abortion law.
“I never believed them. I didn’t believe them. That’s why I voted against them,” the vice president said in an interview on Monday when Bash asked Harris whether she believed Kavanaugh and Gorsuch intentionally misled the public and Congress during the confirmation process.
“It was clear to me when I was sitting in that chair as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that they were … very likely to do what they just did,” Harris continued. “That was my perspective. That was my opinion. And that’s why I voted like I did.”
Her comments come shortly after Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told The New York Times that she felt misled by Kavanaugh, who she says reassured her that he would not overturn Roe v. Wade.
Harris said she was shocked by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, but she asserted that “this is not over,” referring to conservative Justice Clarence Thomas’ recent statements that suggest the court should reevaluate other landmark cases that protect same-sex marriage and access to contraception.
“I think he just said the quiet part out loud,” Harris said about Thomas. “And I think that is why we all must really understand the significance of what just happened. This is profound. And the way that this decision has come down, has been so driven, I think, by the politics of the issue versus what should be the values that we place on freedom and liberty in our country.”
Harris said the administration “will do everything” within its power to defend access to abortion, suggesting they will look at ways to provide women in states where abortion is banned, with the resources they need, such as child care and travel funding to access the procedure in other states.
Many Democratic lawmakers have called on President Biden to allow abortion providers to work from federal property. But Harris said the administration was not currently discussing to use federal lands for abortion services in and around states that ban the procedure. A White House official also expressed similar concerns, stating that “women and providers who are not federal employees could potentially be prosecuted.”
During the CNN interview, Harris repeatedly stressed the importance of the upcoming November midterms as an opportunity to elect more Democratic senators who support abortion rights.
“The court actually took a constitutional right that has been recognized for half a century, and took it from the women of America. That’s shocking,” Harris said during the interview. “And when we think about it, everyone has something at risk on this.”