Trump slammed for not rejecting conspiracy theory Kamala Harris is ineligible for vice presidency
Biden campaign calls Trump comments 'abhorrent'
Alex Pappas By Alex Pappas, Brooke Singman |
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President Trump would not reject a conspiracy theory Thursday that Kamala Harris is ineligible to serve as vice president because her parents were born outside the United States.
Asked about the unfounded and widely refuted claims during a press briefing at the White House, Trump responded, “I heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements” before adding, “I have no idea if that's right.”
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Harris is a United States citizen born in California in 1964, making her eligible to serve as president or vice president under the Constitution.
However, a professor of law at Chapman University, John C. Eastman, wrote a piece for Newsweek this week after she was named to the Democratic ticket questioning whether Harris is a “natural born citizen” because her mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica.
During the Thursday press briefing, Trump appeared to fuel the argument by touting the author’s credentials, saying, “And by the way, the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified, very talented lawyer.”
“I have no idea if that's right,” Trump said.
“I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run as vice president.”
The president then said: “You’re saying that she doesn’t qualify because she wasn’t born in this country?” The reporter corrected the president to say Harris was born in the United States, but the issue involves the birthplace of her parents.
“I don’t know about it,” Trump said. “I just heard about it. I’ll take a look.”
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