Vice President Kamala Harris struggled when asked to name which Republican senators she had spoken to on the issue of voting rights legislation in an interview this week.
Speaking to CBS News by phone Tuesday, the vice president made the comments after telling the network she was in contact with senators from both parties on the issue of Senate Democrats’ voting rights legislation.
“I have spoken to Republican senators — both elected Republicans and Republican leaders,” Harris told the network, adding, “I’ve talked with Murkowski about this issue.”
Reps for Harris, who did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, later told the network that the two had actually discussed infrastructure, not election security.
A spokesperson for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told the network that their conversations have been focused “solely on infrastructure.”
Harris — who has been tasked by President Biden with addressing the root causes of the migrant crisis at the southern border, expanding voting rights and leading small business outreach in the coronavirus rescue package — said there was “no bright line” on whom she speaks to about election security legislation.
She told the network it was “a nonpartisan issue” and “should be approached that way.”
The issue, however, has become extremely partisan.
Democrats in the House and Senate have made ensuring voting rights access their top agenda item for this year’s Congress.
The House passed the For the People Act in early March, but it failed 51-49 in the Senate because of the legislative filibuster, the Senate rule requiring 60 members to end debate on most topics and move forward to a vote.
Republicans blocked the bill because they argued it represented a breathtaking federal infringement on states’ authority to conduct their own elections without fraud.
The package was pushed by Democrats earlier this year in an effort to undo some states’ attempts to tighten voting laws following the 2020 election.
In this Congress, Democrats need 10 Republicans to move any major legislation forward, though they can bypass the filibuster through budget reconciliation on certain bills.
Budget reconciliation would allow Democrats to pass spending for critical projects, but the process cannot be used to change or create laws.
Biden was elected on a platform of “unity” and bipartisanship and entered the White House as a three-decade veteran of the Senate, where he and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) developed a personal friendship.
While he was quick to invite GOP members to the White House and engage in negotiations on COVID-19 relief, he ultimately has moved forward with a largely progressive agenda.
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