Democratic Senator Kamala Harris has been a constant topic of political news during the past two weeks. Though Harris was selected to the California Senate seat in 2016, she is no novice in the world of law and politics. That fact is why the treatment of Senator Harris during the testimonies of both Former Director James Comey, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions is so remarkable.

 

Senator Harris’s accomplishments speak volumes. She was the District Attorney of the city and county of San Francisco, Attorney General of the state of California, and is the newly elected Junior Senator of the state of California.

So why the disrespect?

One would expect that an attorney/politician that has accomplished as much as Senator Harris would be given the same respect as her peers, but there are some variables that prevent that. Senator Harris is new to her role, she is a woman, and she is African and Indian-American.

Harris is a Black woman that has long been passionate about her career, and that same passion can be seen in her delivery method of questioning in the last two televised hearings. However, instead of "passionate", Harris is viewed as "combative" and "hysterical" – two terms used by political contributors and senators to describe Harris’s method of questioning.

It seems so strange. It is almost as if Senator Harris is not being treated the same as her colleagues. But, why though? It seems that way, because it is true.

It seems the embattled Trump administration has a long road to go before there is any conclusion in the Russia investigation, and it is almost a guarantee that Senator Harris will be present for more questioning at future hearings. With that in mind, is there any possibility that her treatment will be any different?

If the answer is left up to political contributors like Jeffrey Lord who referred to Harris as "hysterical" and "out of line", then the treatment may very well remain the same. There is, however, one common factor both in those that believe Harris is acting irrationally and those that cut her off – they are men.

Previously a federal prosecutor, Harris is knowledgeable in tactics of witnesses (and criminals) in an attempt to delay proceedings, by delaying their answers to questions, or potentially not answering questions at all. In addition, at these hearings, each Senator is given a limited time to speak and frankly, there is not much time for consideration of those testifying in terms of considering their "ability to be rushed".

As seen, anytime that Senator Harris’s questions made anyone uncomfortable, she was cut off – once by Senator Burr and once by Senator McCain. But, why though?  The simple answer appears to be that Senator’s Harris interactions with those testifying and her colleagues indeed makes them all uncomfortable.

Harris's peers have mentioned that anytime a female prosecutor or any woman in power ask questions, those on the receiving end seem to always be uncomfortable. But, why though? 

Sexism.

Sexism has long been at play in politics and in today’s social media era, political sexism can be seen in real time. It was just last month that 13 Republican Senators were tasked with crafting the Senate’s healthcare plan. All 13 members were male. Thirteen men were tasked with creating a healthcare plan that could have the most impact on women, yet no women were present.

It was only after pressure created through social media that the GOP began to reconsider their plan, this just after Mitch McConnell stated, "Everybody’s at the table."

Unfortunately, in the realm of politics, "everybody" is not inclusive of women – not with designing the healthcare bill, and certainly not with the treatment of Senator Harris. Harris has broken a cycle that has long stood in D.C. Previously, members on The Hill were almost always old, White, and male. In 2017, things are very different. Women can make just as much impact in politics as men, and in some cases and causes could create more of an impact.

So the next time that a male senator is allowed to "pressure" a witness, or joke and create moments of candor, – the same courtesy should be extended to Senator Harris. Harris, however, will not be seen creating moments of candor; she will instead continue to be a woman who is passionate about her role in America, and a woman that deserves our respect.