Publisher In ‘Damage-Control Mode’ After Report Detailing Kamala’s Alleged Plagiarism

Just hours after Christopher Rufo reported that Vice President Kamala Harris had allegedly plagiarized multiple sections of her 2009 book, “Smart on Crime,” Rufo reported that the book’s publisher had accidentally sent him an email showing it was in “damage-control mode.”

“BREAKING: Kamala Harris’s publisher, Chronicle Books, is in damage control mode. The company accidentally sent my team an internal communication indicating that VP Lauren Hoffman is requiring that all inquiries about Harris’s plagiarism go through the higher ups,” Rufo posted on X.

He included a screenshot of an email — which he said was sent to him by accident — that instructed employees to funnel any questions about the alleged plagiarism through the top brass.

The missive, sent at 3:31 pm PDT Monday, came under the subject line “publicity.”

“Per Lauren Hoffman (VP, Executive Director of Marketing and Publicity) please do not respond or comment on any inquiries regarding SMART ON CRIME, and please continue to forward them directly to me. Really appreciate your help on this it is a sensitive topic.”

BREAKING: Kamala Harris's publisher, Chronicle Books, is in damage control mode. The company accidentally sent my team an internal communication indicating that VP Lauren Hoffman is requiring that all inquiries about Harris's plagiarism go through the higher ups. pic.twitter.com/seiF3bu0R2

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) October 14, 2024

Several mainstream media outlets picked up Rufo’s story, but only to criticize him.

“Conservative Activist Seizes on Passages From Harris Book,” the New York Times headline read. The article went on to explain that a “plagiarism expert” had determined that the obviously lifted passages were “not serious.”

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“Somebody hang this in the Louvre,” Rufo said of the NYT piece. “The New York Times claims that I ‘seize[d] on’ Kamala Harris’s serial plagiarism. Admits later in the story that it is, in fact, plagiarism. And then calls noticing that fact ‘racist.'”

Somebody hang this in the Louvre. The New York Times claims that I "seize[d] on" Kamala Harris's serial plagiarism. Admits later in the story that it is, in fact, plagiarism. And then calls noticing that fact "racist." pic.twitter.com/igfEpwP1h7

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) October 14, 2024

“The spin is already on from Kamala’s media lapdogs at the New York Times. It was a fiery but mostly peaceful plagiarism!” the Trump War Room account commented.

The spin is already on from Kamala’s media lapdogs at the New York Times.

It was a fiery but mostly peaceful plagiarism! https://t.co/fhqHtwpcWv pic.twitter.com/DxtVFxLoYC

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 14, 2024

“Pay close attention: The New York Times consults a plagiarism expert who confirms Kamala Harris plagiarized but says it was harmless and ‘amounts to an error and not an intent to defraud.’ Okay, that’s a value judgment that obscures fact: She plagiarized. And we get a ‘Conservatives Pounce’-style dismissal, too. This is called running cover for the home team,” Andrew Walker posted.

Pay close attention: The New York Times consults a plagiarism expert who confirms Kamala Harris plagiarized but says it was harmless and “amounts to an error and not an intent to defraud.” Okay, that’s a value judgment that obscures fact: She plagiarized.

And we get a… pic.twitter.com/CaDmj5cfcx

— Andrew T. Walker (@andrewtwalk) October 14, 2024

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) got a jab in as well.

“Hi, I’m JD Vance. I wrote my own book, unlike Kamala Harris, who copied hers from Wikipedia.”

Hi, I'm JD Vance. I wrote my own book, unlike Kamala Harris, who copied hers from Wikipedia. https://t.co/tkZvK8LrI3

— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 14, 2024