Harris: ‘Insulting’ to suggest she or Biden would attack someone for their faith

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday shot back at Vice President Pence after he accused Democrats of targeting Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett over her Catholic faith, calling it “insulting.”

“Joe Biden and I are both people of faith, and it’s insulting to suggest that we would knock anyone for their faith,” Harris said. “And in fact Joe, if elected, will be only the second practicing Catholic as president of the United States.”

Harris’s remark came in response to Pence expressing hope that Barrett receives a fair hearing and that she is not subject to “the kinds of attacks on her Christian faith that we saw before.”

The vice president was referring to comments from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) during Barrett’s 2017 confirmation hearing for a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals when the senator said “the dogma lives loudly within you,” a remark conservatives seized on as an attack on Barrett’s Catholic faith.

Harris, also a senator from California, previously questioned a separate judicial nominee, Brian Buescher, about his involvement with the Catholic group Knights of Columbus, prompting claims of anti-Catholic bias.

Pence’s criticism is part of a broader effort to paint Democrats as anti-Catholic in regards to Barrett, but Democrats have been careful to avoid questioning Barrett’s faith since she was nominated to the Supreme Court, instead focusing on her judicial views and portraying her as a threat to health care and reproductive rights.

Harris’s retort was notable given President Trump has attempted to attack Biden on religious grounds, claiming in August that Biden would “hurt the Bible” and “hurt God.”

“Joe Biden’s faith is at the core of who he is; he’s lived it with dignity his entire life, and it’s been a source of strength and comfort in times of extreme hardship,” Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement at the time.