House Republican leaders told lawmakers in a meeting Tuesday to stop bringing up Vice President Kamala Harris' race and gender and to focus on her record, Politico reported.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. created a firestorm when he attacked Harris as a DEI candidate after President Joe Biden dropped out and Harris announced her candidacy, quickly becoming the presumptive Democrat nominee. Harris is of Black and South Asian descent.
"The incompetency level is at an all-time high in Washington," Burchett wrote on social media. "The media propped up this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then dumped him for our DEI vice president."
Burchett said he regretted the comment, even though he said, "it was the truth."
Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., said Democrats were sticking with Harris because of her "ethnic background."
Republicans are hoping to criticize Harris for her record on the border and for skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress.
"This should not be about personalities. It should be about policy. And we have a record to compare," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. said to Politico after the meeting. "This has nothing to do with race. It has to do with the competence of the person running for president, the relative strength of the two candidates and what ideas they have on how to solve America's problems. And I think in that comparison, we'll win in a landslide."
An unnamed House Republican told Politico the DEI attacks need to stop. DEI initiatives aim to promote inclusion of women, minorities, and other marginalized groups.
"We have everything going our way and you just can't handle that?" the lawmaker said. "We'll give you a cheat sheet if you don't know what else to talk about."
Former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, also weighed in, saying calling Vice President Kamala Harris a "DEI candidate" is "stupid."
"This DEI, that seems like a petty … look, I disagree with DEI, but she is the vice president of the United States, she is the former U.S. Senator," McCarthy said. "These congressmen that are saying it, they're wrong in their own instance."
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., who chairs the Main Street Caucus, said Republicans should focus on Harris' record as vice president rather than "make allegations," Politico reported.