Josh Shapiro claims Harris’ vetting team questioned him on Israel ties during 2024 campaign

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: Gov. Josh Shapiro, in excerpts from his forthcoming memoir, reveals that during the vetting process for former Vice President Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign, members of her team asked a question he found offensive.

Shapiro described being taken aback by the question. He added that his interaction with Harris’ vetting advisers involved unexpected scrutiny regarding his loyalty and ties to Israel.

Allegations in Josh Shapiro’s memoir about Kamala Harris’ vetting questions

In his forthcoming memoir 'Where We Keep the Light', set to be released on Tuesday, January 27, Shapiro writes that the running‑mate vetting team for Harris during her 2024 run for the presidency asked him if he had ever been an agent of the Israeli government.

The New York Times first reported on Shapiro’s claim. Shapiro recounts that Dana Remus, a former White House counsel and member of the vetting team, asked him last minute whether he had ever been associated with Israel.

He told Remus that he found the question offensive, according to excerpts. Shapiro also noted that Remus asked if he had ever spoken with an undercover Israeli agent, to which he replied, in part, "if they had been undercover, how the hell would I know?"

Shapiro wrote that while he understood Remus had to do her job, he criticized the line of questioning. He said he was also asked more general vetting questions about Israel and how he handled campus protests about Gaza.

He also noted that, "I wondered whether these questions were being posed to just me — the only Jewish guy in the running — or if everyone who had not held a federal office was being grilled about Israel in the same way," 

Shapiro, is known for speaking openly about his faith, his support for Israel, and his criticism of its current government, was reportedly considered for Harris’ running‑mate spot.

Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign and her memoir

Amid major debates within the Democratic Party over the Israel‑Hamas war and the US–Israel relationship given its conduct in Gaza, he faced scrutiny from some progressives over his pro‑Israel views and his previous time volunteering in Israel, including on an Israeli army base.

At the time, Shapiro and his team emphasized that his volunteer work did not involve any military activity and that his perspective on the conflict had since evolved to endorse a two‑state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

The vetting process for running mates is known to be intensive and often tries to anticipate questions that may be asked publicly of candidates. 

In her memoir '107 Days', Harris wrote that during the vetting process she spoke with Shapiro “about how to handle the attacks he’d confronted on Gaza and what effect it might have on the enthusiasm we were trying to build,” and that they discussed an opinion piece Shapiro wrote in college.

She noted that he felt he had been able to deal with critics by stating that his youthful opinion had been misguided and that he was fully committed to a two‑state solution. She also wrote that he had publicly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “one of the worst leaders of all time.”

Harris also framed the decision against selecting Shapiro as more about his ambition and fears that he would be frustrated with the vice‑presidential role, claims Shapiro has rebuffed.