• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

FLASHBACK: Reaction to Harris’ plagiarism story much more benign than for Biden during ’88 election

by October 17, 2024
written by October 17, 2024

After allegations of plagiarism levied against Vice President Harris, the New York Times quoted an expert who insisted Republicans were ‘mak[ing] a big deal’ out of minor violations that were ‘an error and not an intent to defraud.’ Meanwhile, speaking to the Washington Post, the same expert blamed Harris’ plagiarism on technical difficulties.

Despite the benign reaction to the revelations of Harris’ plagiarism from her 2009 book about prosecuting crime, the reaction to plagiarism accusations against Joe Biden during his 1987-1988 run for president was much more aggressive, and many, such as the Washington Post, have credited the scandal with derailing his then-campaign.

‘Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., fighting to salvage his Presidential campaign,’ the New York Times wrote in 1987 after reports he lifted excerpts from other politicians’ speeches to use as his own and plagiarized a paper in law school. They also called the revelations ‘damaging,’ while independent columnist Lewis Grizzard described Biden’s plagiarism as ‘thievery and disinformation.’

 

The public was concerned enough about Biden’s alleged plagiarism that he was forced to withdraw from his regular duties in Congress, which, at the time, included the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice nominee Robert Bork, to hold an impromptu press conference to answer questions about the ordeal. Roughly a week later, Biden withdrew from the race amid the backlash.

When asked during the press conference if he thought the plagiarism accusations would affect his run for the presidency, Biden said he didn’t think so but conceded it would come down to how the press portrayed it to the American people: ‘You all will make the judgment about that. It will all depend on how you write it. I don’t mean that – I’m not being smart. It will all depend on how the American people look at me. They’re going to look at me and say, ‘Is Joe Biden being honest with me? Or is Joe Biden not being honest with me?’ 

The New York Times’ reporting on Harris’ plagiarism was slammed by Republican critic Christopher Rufo, who was the force behind the Harris account of plagiarism. Rufo, alongside an Austrian plagiarism expert, said they found dozens of violations in Harris’ 2009 book, ‘Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer.’ These reportedly included verbatim passages lifted from news reports at NBC and the Associated Press, as well as sections taken from Wikipedia, all without any citation or quotes indicating it was not her language. Harris also plagiarized excerpts from a Bureau of Justice Assistance report, a report from the Urban Institute and a press release from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for her book, according to Rufo.

After the New York Times came out with its reporting on the matter, Rufo criticized the paper for ‘lying.’ The Times, which spoke to plagiarism expert Jonathan Bailey, said Rufo only found ‘five sections’ of ‘about 500 words’ that amounted to something problematic. Bailey referred to the alleged plagiarism as an ‘error and not an intent to defraud,’ adding that Rufo was trying to ‘make a big deal of [something minor].’ 

The paper added that ‘none of the passages in question took the ideas or thoughts of another writer.’ Meanwhile, in 1987, the Times slammed claims from Biden that the ideas he reportedly plagiarized came to him spontaneously: ‘Mr. Biden’s borrowing raises questions about how much a candidate can adapt someone else’s language and thoughts, whether he remembers to give credit or not,’ the outlet posited at the time.

Rufo also blasted the Washington Post’s coverage for downplaying the Harris plagiarism allegations. The paper, which spoke to Bailey as well, blamed the ‘errors’ on technical difficulties.

‘Bailey said such errors are not uncommon in material written from the late 1990s to around 2010, a period when electronic research became more common, but plagiarism detection had not yet emerged,’ wrote the Post.

Rufo also drew a contrast between how the Post criticized first lady Melania Trump for what he described as ‘lifting a few turns of phrase’ during a 2016 speech.

‘When Kamala Harris did this more than a dozen times, the paper explained that it was OK because Kamala didn’t know how to use a computer,’ he said.

In addition to alleging plagiarism by Harris, Rufo was also the force behind alleging plagiarism by the former president of Harvard, Claudine Gay. The revelations that Gay had reportedly copied numerous academics over the course of her own academic career subsequently led to her removal as Harvard’s president.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Harris campaign for comment but did not hear back by press time.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
US bombers strike Yemen weapons facilities controlled by Houthi forces
next post
Ambitions, hopes, dreams, aspirations, boys playing girls’ sports, and reparations

related articles

Trump yet to endorse in VA governor’s race...

October 23, 2025

DAVID MARCUS: Trump’s ballroom is no vanity project,...

October 23, 2025

Examining the next threat from Communist China: Our...

October 23, 2025

Sparks fly as Cuomo, Mamdani tear into each...

October 23, 2025

Trump meets NATO’s Rutte amid canceled Putin meeting:...

October 22, 2025

Schumer blocks 12th GOP bid to reopen government...

October 22, 2025

FLASHBACK: Ted Cruz predicts ballooning Obamacare subsidies now...

October 22, 2025

DAVID MARCUS: 5 things New York Republicans need...

October 22, 2025

American missionary kidnapped in Niger by suspected Islamist...

October 22, 2025

Jack Smith defends subpoenaing Republican senators’ phone records:...

October 22, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Biden’s Defense Department announces new multibillion-dollar aid packages for Ukraine

    December 31, 2024
  • Power outage doesn’t slow down Vance prep for Tuesday’s VP debate with Walz

    September 30, 2024
  • Russia remains ‘active threat’ in influencing 2024 election, likely to focus on swing states: U.S. officials

    November 5, 2024
  • Trump signs order lifting sanctions on Syria

    June 30, 2025
  • House clears path for vote honoring Charlie Kirk, denouncing ‘political extremism’

    September 17, 2025

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 3

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 4

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (6,499)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (941)

Latest Posts

  • Timeshare terror leaves retired couple $50K in the hole after being scammed

    December 24, 2024
  • Scoop: More than 100 lawmakers join Congressional DOGE Caucus

    February 10, 2025
  • Biden’s former spokesman slams Trump and GOP ‘colluding to impeach’ judges

    March 20, 2025

Recent Posts

  • DAVID MARCUS: If USAID is so vital, where is the global outrage?

    February 8, 2025
  • Iran’s Khamenei rejects US zero uranium enrichment demand as ‘100% against’ its interests

    June 4, 2025
  • Klarna lands buy now, pay later deal with DoorDash, notching another win ahead of IPO

    March 20, 2025

Editor’s Pick

  • Pentagon transfers out 3 Guantanamo Bay detainees

    December 18, 2024
  • Jury seated in trial of man accused of Trump assassination attempt

    September 11, 2025
  • Top trade association sends letters calling on big changes in three key departments: ‘Unleash American energy’

    January 24, 2025
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock