The former press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Vice President Kamala Harris for awkwardly laughing after she was asked about whether the U.S. would accept Ukrainian refugees.
“It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency,” Iuliia Mendel, Mr. Zelenskyy’s former spokesperson wrote on Twitter, responding to a video of Ms. Harris.
The clumsy exchange occurred Thursday during a joint press conference between Ms. Harris and Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
A reporter asked the leaders if the U.S. would take in Ukraine refugees to ease the strain on Poland, which has accepted the bulk of those fleeing the war-ravaged country.
When the reporter finished their question, Ms. Harris and Mr. Duda looked at each other awkwardly unsure which one was supposed to respond first.
“OK,” Ms. Harris finally said drawing laughter from Mr. Duda and reporters.
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“A friend in need is a friend in indeed,” Ms. Harris said before cracking up at her own line. After she stopped laughing loudly, Mr. Duda confirmed that he asked Ms. Harris to speed up the acceptance process so Ukrainian refugees could join family members in the U.S.
Ms. Mendel wasn’t the only critic who ripped Ms. Harris for laughing, which some deemed as “inappropriate.”
“Kamala Harris has been very consistent during her live remarks with Poland’s leader,” said former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos. “She is awkwardly laughing. Again. Discussing refugees is no laughing matter. Why she laughs at this is deranged.”
It is not the first time Ms. Harris has been criticized for laughing at an inappropriate moment. In August, she interrupted reporters asking about the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan by saying “Hold on, hold on — slow down everyone,” before cackling.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the first name of Iuliia Mendel, former spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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