Not long after being sworn into the Senate, Kamala Harris found herself in the center of an unfolding national security drama. Donald Trump, resentful of having the legitimacy of his victory questioned, was at war with his own spy agencies for accusing Russia of interfering in the 2016 election to benefit Trump. And Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, was vacillating over how aggressively to investigate the perceived threat to American democracy.
Harris, a freshman member with no prior national security experience, was the committee’s newest appointee.
Behind closed doors, she played a pivotal role in pushing the Republican majority panel to conduct an aggressive and thorough investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to staff and members who served with her. She also got a whirlwind national security education that has had a lasting impact on the worldview she now holds as the Democratic presidential nominee, those who worked with her tell NOTUS.