Former President Joe Biden\u2019s allies are reportedly prepared to \u201cescalate\u201d if former Vice President Kamala Harris questioned his mental fitness in her forthcoming book, according to veteran political journalist Mark Halperin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking Friday on \u201cThe Morning Meeting,\u201d Halperin said stories about Harris\u2019s time as Biden\u2019s second-in-command are \u201cPalinesque,\u201d referencing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was widely criticized for being unprepared during her 2008 run as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, the New York Post reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will tell you, and this has never been reported, barely at all: if the Biden people decide that Kamala is coming after Joe Biden, wait till you hear the \u2018Palinesque\u2019 stories about how much they tried to help her be prepared to be vice president and be in a position to run. And how much they decided, \u2018Not happening. She\u2019s not up to this,\u2019\u201d Halperin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In one infamous report following the 2008 election, campaign staffers claimed that Palin did not know Africa was a continent and that she could not name the three countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement \u2014 the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf the Biden people feel threatened, you will hear stories about Kamala Harris as vice president that will not make her look good,\u201d Halperin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo there\u2019s a closeness to the couples,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s not like they\u2019re at war currently, but I\u2019m telling you, if Joe Biden feels threatened, if his people feel threatened by her, this is gonna escalate in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Halperin argued that Harris would have a \u201chard time defending against the stories if that dam bursts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Journalists Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper detail some of the frustrations Biden loyalists had with the vice president in their recent book, \u201cOriginal Sin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also Read : Elon Musk Gives Millions To Republican Super PACs Ahead Of Midterms<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In that book, Harris was described as a \u201cregular headache\u201d for the White House, according to Biden\u2019s people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe often shied away from politically tough assignments when Biden had accepted such assignments as vice president,\u201d the authors write. \u201cShe even turned down seemingly simple asks, such as headlining DC\u2019s Gridiron Club dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMany on the Biden team felt that Harris didn\u2019t put in the work and was also just not a very nice person,\u201d according to the book. \u201cSeveral quietly expressed buyer\u2019s remorse: They should have picked [Michigan Gov. Gretchen] Whitmer\u201d as Biden\u2019s running mate in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Halperin said Biden\u2019s team was \u201cextraordinary in trying to help her do the job of vice president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey gave her every opportunity. And they did \u2014 they found in some instances that she had some issues,\u201d Halperin noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee has brought in several former top Biden White House aides to testify on the former president\u2019s mental decline and his staff\u2019s use of autopen to sign official documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s unclear if the GOP-led committee plans to ask or subpoena Harris for testimony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n