Quick Hit:

Vice President Kamala Harris's new communications director, Brian Fallon, has a controversial history, including calls to defund the police.

Key Details:

• Brian Fallon, a veteran Democratic operative, will be Harris's new communications director.
• Fallon has led campaigns to expand the Supreme Court.
• Fallon has publicly supported defunding the police during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

Diving Deeper:

Vice President Kamala Harris has appointed veteran Democratic operative Brian Fallon as her communications director for the campaign trail, as reported by the Washington Post. Fallon's extensive résumé includes serving as spokesman for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and leading Demand Justice, an activist group advocating for the expansion of the Supreme Court.

Fallon's history of controversial statements and actions could create complications for both Harris and President Joe Biden. Fallon has called for elderly public officials to step down, exemplified by his campaign to pressure then-Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire due to his age. He has also been critical of Biden, mocking him during a 2019 Democratic debate by writing on X (formerly Twitter) that "Biden trying to complete an answer is a tender moment."

At Demand Justice, Fallon criticized Biden's reluctance to expand the Supreme Court, arguing that failure to do so would exacerbate the mass shooting epidemic by leaving Trump-appointed justices in place. During the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Fallon voiced support for defunding the police, a stance that conflicts with Biden's opposition to the defund movement.

Despite his criticisms of Biden, Fallon has been a staunch supporter of Harris. He praised her for showing "guts" during her questioning of then-judge Brett Kavanaugh at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. However, Fallon's group also promoted unfounded claims against Kavanaugh, even supporting discredited accuser Julie Swetnick.

Fallon’s defense of Harris has sometimes involved sharp rebukes of Biden. In June 2019, Fallon tweeted that white politicians and commentators should not tell black candidates like Harris and Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) they were wrong to take offense at Biden's comments about working with segregationists. He further criticized Biden during a Democratic primary debate, questioning why Biden was given a pass for his comments on slavery.