GOP Sen. Kennedy Mocks Kamala Harris Over Line of Questioning to Amy Coney Barrett: ‘Do You Hate Little Warm Puppies?’

Senator Kamala Harris (D- CA), the Democratic nominee for vice president, confronted Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett on subjects including the Voting Rights Act, racial discrimination, and climate change.

During the climate exchange, Harris asked Barrett, “If a case that comes before you would require you to consider scientific evidence, my question is will you defer to scientists and those with expertise in the relevant issues before rendering a judgment?”

Barrett responded, “If a case comes before me involving environmental regulation, I will certainly apply all applicable law deferring when the law requires me to.”

Harris asked, “Do you accept that Covid-19 is infectious?”

Barrett said she does and called it an “obvious fact.”

Harris then asked if she accepts that smoking causes cancer.

“I’m not sure exactly where you’re going with this,” Barrett responded. “Yes, every package of cigarettes warns that smoking causes cancer.”

Finally Harris asked, “And you believe climate change is happening and threatening the air we breathe and the water we drink?”

Barrett responded by saying she’s trying to elicit an opinion from her on “a very contentious matter of public debate and I will not do that, I will not express view on matter of public policy, especially one that is politically controversial.”

“Thank you, Judge Barrett, and you’ve made your point that you believe it’s a debatable point,” Harris added before moving on.

Minutes later it was Sen. John Kennedy’s (R- LA) turn, and he started with a line of questioning mocking his Democratic colleague’s.

“Let’s try to answer some of Senator Harris’ accusations,” Kennedy started. “Are you a racist?”

Barrett said, “I am not a racist, Senator Kennedy.”

Kennedy went on to ask, “Do you support in all cases corporations over working people?”

“I do not, I think if you look at my record, you will see cases in which I’ve decided for plaintiffs, not corporations,” Barrett responded.

Kennedy asked, “Are you against clean air, bright water, and environmental justice?”

“I am not against any of those things,” Barrett said. “Those are policies that the Congress has pursued in many statutes and I think we all reap the benefits of when those statutes work.”

“Do you support science?” Kennedy asked. “Do you support children and propserity?”

Barrett responded affirmatively to both of those.

Finally, Kennedy asked, “Do you hate little warm puppies?”

Barrett laughed and said she doesn’t.

Kennedy took a moment to criticize Harris, remarking “I don’t think we’re a racist country” and saying, “I have an enormous amount of respect for Kamala. She suggested that some states are wicked and other states are pristine and I would gently remind her that California, a state I love… has a deep history of discrimination against Asian-Americans. California has a deep history of discrimination against Hispanics. And I’m not saying this is true, but there have been serious allegations made against Senator Harris, that as attorney general of the wonderful state of California, that she participated in racial disparities in prosecution.”

You can watch clips from Harris’ and Kennedy’s exchanges above, via Fox News.