Schiff: Possible Harris Debate Problem Is ‘Knowing the Facts Too Well’

PSAKI: “You’ve heard there’s a debate tomorrow night. And you and Kamala Harris, the vice president, were prosecutors around the same time in California. What do you think that background means for how she will approach the debate with Donald Trump tomorrow night?”

Schiff: “Well, I think it means that she will be very quick on her feet. She will know the facts and be able to marshal the facts in support of her argument. I think the challenge for the vice president is really twofold. One, sometimes knowing the facts too well gets in the way of giving the broader vision, letting people get to know you, seeing the more human side of you. You are at risk of coming across with a laundry list of facts, and that’s not really what people are looking for. But the other challenge is the bar for her is so much higher because the bar for Trump is so low. He’s going to go and lie. He’s going to go and bluster. He’s going to be Trumping Trump. And because people don’t expect any better of him, they’re not going to expect any better of him. But this is an opportunity for Kamala to show her human side. At the same time she’s got to hold him accountable for his lies, to show a sense of humor if the questions yield to that, and to put him in his place if he is being obnoxious, and that’s a lot to accomplish.”

PSAKI: “That’s a lot. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if I were her. But that’s why she’s running for president. Congressman Adam Schiff, thank you so much for being here. It’s always great to see you. And coming up, it was an election upended by violence and complaints of corruption that pushed democracy —“