national politics
What a national search surfaced.
RECORD / AT A GLANCE
Documented scrutiny
The record that surfaced was real. Why Biden chose Harris is reported, not documented.
THE EVENTS / THE INVESTIGATION / THE STORY
Late July 2020
Bass is reported among a handful of women Biden’s team interviewed for the ticket.
August 2020
Her 2016 Castro statement, Venceremos trips and a 2010 Scientology speech dominate coverage.
August 11, 2020
Bass congratulates Harris, who later swears her in as mayor in December 2022.
READ THE FILE
In August 2020 she was on Biden’s shortlist. He chose Harris.
In one week, her Castro statement, her brigade trips and a Scientology speech became national news.
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OPEN THE RECORD
Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
2020 reporting: about eight 1970s trips, later official trips, her explanations.
ABC7, 2022: she says she is Baptist and condemns the church’s practices.
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In August 2020 she was on Biden’s shortlist. He chose Harris.
Bass rose late in Joe Biden’s 2020 running-mate search and was among the finalists interviewed in early August, NBC News and the Los Angeles Times reported. [1] [2]
Biden picked Kamala Harris on August 11, 2020. Bass congratulated her. Two years later Harris, as vice president, swore Bass in as mayor. [2] [3]
Source limits. The campaign never published its vetting files.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
In one week, her Castro statement, her brigade trips and a Scientology speech became national news.
As she rose on the list, CNN described “searing scrutiny” of three things: the 2016 Castro statement, her 1970s brigade travel and a warm 2010 speech at a Scientology building opening. Republicans and the Trump campaign pressed the Cuba record. [1] [3]
Bass said the Castro wording “shouldn’t have been said” and that she was not a communist or socialist; in 2022 she said she was not a Scientologist and condemned the church’s practices. [2] [3] [4] Reporting at the time said the scrutiny hurt her chances. No internal document confirms it decided the outcome.
Source limits. The vetting file is private; accounts come from aides speaking to reporters.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
Read the dated record and its stated scope.
2020 reporting: about eight 1970s trips, later official trips, her explanations.
ABC7, 2022: she says she is Baptist and condemns the church’s practices.