Cornel West says Harris tried to bribe him to drop out of the race

Independent far-left [aka communist] presidential candidate Cornel West made a startling revelation about the lengths the Democratic Party might go to secure a win in the 2024 election.

In an interview on the Status Coup News podcast, West alleged that the Harris campaign had proposed a deal to entice him to withdraw from the presidential race. According to his claim, they attempted to bribe him by promising a comfortable position in Harris' administration if she were elected, as well as an offer to settle his campaign debts.

West has faced opposition from the Democratic Party due to polling data indicating that his candidacy in swing states siphons votes from Harris, potentially benefiting former President Donald Trump.

Podcast host Jordan Chariton, to his credit, did not let West's claim go unchallenged. He pressed for more details, specifically inquiring about the type of position Harris' administration allegedly offered. In response, West began to describe the interaction as a "serious, substantive conversation about all of those that could lead toward some real..." However, he then trailed off and appeared to divert the subject.
There's no doubt that Harris' team would love to see Cornel West off the ballot entirely and throwing his support to them, particularly in the swing states. West doesn't pull all that many voters, but the ones he does attract come almost entirely from the Democrats and Harris' base of support. But it's difficult for me to see how or why Harris would offer him a full cabinet-level position. He might perhaps be considered for a deputy position of some sort or even a role on Harris' staff, but there simply aren't enough of those "secretary" positions to go around considering how many people would be vying for them.

Despite these claims, some critics are labeling this arrangement as "beyond election interference." However, it's well documented through numerous insider "tell-all" books that such conversations are commonplace in Washington, especially during a presidential election cycle. These discussions are generally unofficial and resemble more of a "meeting of the minds" negotiation. For example, when Pete Buttigieg exited the 2020 presidential primary and endorsed Joe Biden, it was widely assumed that he was promised a Cabinet position, though it remains somewhat puzzling how he ended up in the Transportation Department. Similar scenarios can be said for many others.

The two cases do have notable differences. Pete Buttigieg, often referred to as "Pothole Pete," brought much more to the table than Cornel West does. Buttigieg secured a significantly higher percentage of the vote and, as an added bonus, served as an ideal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) candidate for an administration that had committed to prioritizing DEI beyond basic qualifications. Although Cornel West checks a couple of DEI boxes, he wouldn't be considered "historic" in that regard, regardless of which Cabinet position he would be given.

So, was the narrative Cornel West shared on that podcast authentic? I don't doubt that the conversation took place or was at least mentioned. However, was it a violation of election laws or a case of election interference? Not really. It was just another example of the routine interactions that occur within the political landscape of Washington.

Tweet