White House Unclear if Kamala Harris Book Given to Migrant Kids

The White House could not say Monday whether Vice President Kamala Harris is profiting from her book being included in welcoming packets given to migrant children.

Update:  While the exchange between White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Fox News reporter Peter Doocy is reported accurately in this story, the answer to Doocy’s question — which Psaki was not able to provide at the time — is that one copy of Vice President Harris’s children’s book is in the donated inventory of books at the Long Beach Shelter. The headline and story have been revised accordingly.

“I’d have to certainly check on that,” Psaki said during the White House press briefing. “Hear it’s a good book.”

The New York Post on Friday published photos of Harris’s 2019 children’s book Superheroes Are Everywhere in welcome packages for migrant children arriving in the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in California. That story was later updated to note that only one known copy of the book is included in the collection of donated books at the shelter.

During the press briefing on Monday, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Psaki why the book was being included in welcome packets and whether she was profiting as a result.

“I’d have to check with our Health and Human Services team,” Psaki said, unable to offer a response.

White House officials have not responded on the record to questions about the book but privately have told reporters that Harris was not aware of the practice.

A White House official told Newsweek on background the welcome packets were part of a city donation effort organized by the community.

Republican majority leader Kevin McCarthy voiced his frustration with the White House answer to the question on social media.

“This should be a straight yes or no answer from the White House: are taxpayers paying for copies of the Vice President’s book to be handed out at migrant shelters?” he asked.

As it turns out, only one donated copy of Harris’s children’s book is in the shelter’s donated book collection.