CNN panel clashes over whether Harris has spoken with the press: 'She has not engaged yet'

CNN host Abby Phillip clashed with CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers on Sunday over Vice President Harris' engagement with the press since taking President Biden's place at the top of the ticket. 

"Kamala Harris has stuff to prove in the debate, too," Sellers began, as Phillip noted the vice president had a lot to prove before the debate too.

Harris has gone 29 days without giving a press conference or sitting down for a formal interview with a member of the press since emerging as the nominee for president after Biden dropped out of the race. Harris has said that she plans to schedule an interview by the end of August. 

"She has not engaged yet," Phillip said, as another panelist insisted that Harris just became the nominee. "She has not engaged in any pressing interactions on anything, really." 

A CNN panel clashed on Sunday over whether Vice President Harris has engaged with the media. (Screenshot/CNN)

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"Well that's not true, that's absolutely not true," Sellers said. Harris has spoken to reporters briefly at some campaign stops, including on Sunday in Pennsylvania.

Phillips argued Harris' lack of media appearances would end up being an issue for her, but Sellers disagreed. 

"First of all, that’s not an issue. I believe that the fact that the mainstream media and many people in D.C. are consumed with the fact that she won‘t sit down with them or do media interviews has posed a problem for them, because what we‘ve seen, poll after poll, individual after individual, voter after voter, is that when she’s out in Wisconsin, when she’s out in Arizona, when she‘s out in Pennsylvania, and actually talking to voters, that matters a lot more. And I think that we‘re seeing the inherent value of that," Sellers said. 

Sellers also said that Harris did have to answer questions about her flip-flops on certain policy ideas she supported while she was running for president in 2020.

Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greets patrons in Primanti Bros. Restaurant on August 18, 2024, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

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CNN's Shermichael Singleton asked, "Why not sit down with a journalist to answer those tough questions?" 

"Kamala Harris actually has questions to answer as well. You know, she has to be able to answer why was she with fracking or Medicare-for-all or health care, all of these things. That’s why September 10 is so important to her as well," Sellers said, referring to the ABC News debate between her and former President Trump.

Trump has answered at least 81 on-record questions from reporters and others since Harris and Gov. Tim Walz emerged as the Democratic ticket, compared to only a handful for Harris and none for Walz. 

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Fox News' Brian Flood, David Rutz and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.