Washington [US], August 30: The pledge came as US Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first interview since running for president.
US Vice President Kamala Harris on August 29 gave the most detailed explanation yet of why she changed some of her views on immigration and shale gas extraction, and said she would nominate a Republican to her cabinet if elected.
In an exclusive interview with CNN's Dana Bash, she said her values haven't changed, but her time as vice president has brought a new perspective on some of the country's most pressing issues.
Ms Harris said she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if elected, although she did not name anyone.
"I think it's really important. I've spent my career calling for diversity of opinion. I think it's important to have people on the table when some of the most important decisions are being made with different perspectives, different experiences. And I think it would be beneficial to the American public to have a member of my cabinet who is a Republican," she said.
Vice President Harris brushed aside a question from her running mate, former President Donald Trump, about her race, dismissing the suggestion that she "accidentally passed as African American" as a "worn-out trick."
Asked about her reversal on shale gas drilling and legalizing illegal border crossings, Harris explained her reasons for changing her stance and insisted that her values had not changed.
"I think the most important and meaningful aspect of my views and policy decisions is that my values have not changed. You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent issue that we should apply the metrics including ensuring the relevant deadlines," Ms. Harris said.
During a CNN climate crisis briefing in September 2019, Harris supported a moratorium on shale gas fracking. By the time she became the vice presidential nominee, she had abandoned that stance and even cast the deciding vote to extend shale gas leases.
In the interview, she cited the Biden administration's Climate Change Reduction Act, which provides for investments to combat climate change.
"We have set targets for the United States and beyond that globally around meeting certain benchmarks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for example. That value has not changed," Harris said.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
