Vice President Kamala Harris is under scrutiny for alleged plagiarism in her 2009 book Smart on Crime, co-authored with ghostwriter Joan O’C. Hamilton. The book, which promotes reform-minded approaches to crime prosecution, has been accused of borrowing heavily from multiple sources without proper attribution.
Allegations and sources cited
Conservative activist Christopher Rufo brought the allegations to light on Monday, citing an investigation by Austrian plagiarism expert Stefan Weber. Screenshots posted on X by Rufo showcase five instances where passages from Smart on Crime appear to closely mirror or exactly replicate wording from earlier sources, including:
- A 2008 Associated Press article
- A 2008 Wikipedia article draft
- A 2000 Bureau of Justice Assistance report
- A 2004 Urban Institute report
- A 2007 press release from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice
In some cases, the original source material is cited in the footnotes of Harris’ book, but without the necessary quotation marks around the borrowed text. In other instances, passages from sources like the Urban Institute report were allegedly not credited at all.
Ghostwriter’s response
When contacted for comment, Hamilton expressed surprise over the accusations. “Oh gosh, I haven’t seen anything,” she told The Post on Monday. She declined further comment, stating she needed to investigate the claims.
Weber’s findings and Harris’ defense
Stefan Weber’s report uncovered further issues in Smart on Crime. He accused Harris of fabricating a reference with a non-existent page number and copying promotional content from Goodwill Industries without proper citation. In some instances, the source was cited, but the text was directly copied without quotation marks, which Weber called dishonest.
Weber also pointed out instances of altered details in the copied text, such as substituting a Subway store owner with a sandwich shop clerk or referencing Southeast Asia in a discussion on U.S. gang problems.
A spokesperson for Harris’ campaign, James Singer, responded, saying, “This is a book that’s been out for 15 years, and the vice president clearly cited sources and statistics in footnotes and endnotes throughout.”
Historical precedent of plagiarism in politics
While plagiarism allegations can be damaging to journalists and academics, politicians have often survived similar scandals. Notably, President Joe Biden faced accusations of plagiarism early in his career, including copying a British politician’s speech during his 1987 presidential campaign.
As Harris navigates this controversy, it remains to be seen how it will affect her standing in the upcoming election.
