Josh Shapiro alleges Kamala Harris VP team asked him if he was ‘an Israeli agent’
In a new book, the Pennsylvania governor says he was also asked if he would apologise for remarks made about anti-Israel university encampments - and that he 'flatly' refused
Pennsylvania’s Jewish governor has described Kamala Harris’s team asked whether he was an Israeli government agent when they were reportedly considering him for the Vice Presidential nomination, with a former Biden administration official describing the revelation as “an antisemitic inquiry”.
In his forthcoming book, We Keep the Light, due to be published later this month, Governor Josh Shapiro described how a representative of Kamala Harris, Dana Remus, asked him: “Have you ever been an agent of the Israeli government”. Remus, who served as White House Council to President Joe Biden, also reportedly inquired as to whether Shapiro had ever spoken with an undercover Israeli agent.
In his book, Shapiro described how he told Remus that he found the question offensive, as well as pointing out that he would have no idea whether he had ever spoken to an undercover agent or not. He said that while Remus was “just doing her job… the fact that she asked, or was told to ask that question by someone else, said a lot about some of the people around the VP.”
Shapiro also described how in a meeting with Kamala Harris herself, the then-Vice President asked him if he would apologise for remarks he had made about university campus protestors who had built encampments to protest Israel’s war in Gaza, and who had harassed Jewish students unwilling to condemn Israel on multiple occasions. Shapiro had infuriated the far-left of the Democratic Party by saying that “we have to query whether or not we would tolerate this if this were people dressed up in KKK outfits or KKK regalia.” Shapiro writes that he told Harris “flatly” that he would not apologise.
We Keep the Light begins with a description of what happened when Shapiro and his family had to flee the Governor’s mansion after it was firebombed, with the arsonist later telling police the motive had been the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza.
On Sunday, Aaron Keyak, who served as Deputy Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Antisemitism during the Biden/Harris administration, responded to the reports of the “double agent” question, along with other related inquiries.
“The minimum demand of Jews in the United States and our allies – even those in public service – is to simply be treated like any other American, regardless of religion, ethnicity or race”, he said.
“That Governor Josh Shapiro write that he was asked if he was a double agent of the world’s only Jewish state is an antisemitic inquiry. While we can safely assume that asking all potential Vice Presidential picks if they are an Israeli double agent is not included on the standard list, the obvious question is why it was Governor Shapiro who was targeted by the staff of the presumptive nominee, Kamala Harris, in particular. The truth is, we almost certainly know why.”
Keyak, who also served as the Jewish Engagement Director for the 2020 Biden/Harris campaign, went on to say that “Unfortunately, this is not the first time the US government or a Presidential campaign has applied a double standard to American Jews during the vetting process for a wide range of officials. I have heard from too many being asked similar questions over many years and I can speak from personal experience. During my vetting process I faced questions in a classified setting that my fellow non-Jewish political appointees did not. These sorts of antisemitic questions are anti-American and do not represent the best that the Democratic Party offers. Now and especially during the next Presidential campaign, we must demand better.”
The publication of We Keep the Light comes just a few months after Harris’s own memoir was released, which portrayed Shapiro in an unflattering light. Ultimately, Shapiro was not the Harris choice for the VP pick, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz nominated for what ultimately be the losing 2024 Democratic ticket.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
