USA
Jewish Pennsylvania governor claims Harris campaign team asked if he was ‘Israeli double agent’
‘I just had a knot in my stomach through all of it’, wrote Josh Shapiro in his upcoming memoir
January 19, 2026 14:46
‘I just had a knot in my stomach through all of it’, wrote Josh Shapiro in his upcoming memoir
January 19, 2026 14:46Kamala Harris' team asked Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro whether he had ever been an "agent" of Israel during the vetting process for her potential running mate ahead of the 2024 election, according to an advance copy of his memoir obtained by The New York Times on Sunday.
In Where We Keep the Light, Shapiro, who is Jewish and whose official residence in Harrisburg was targeted in an antisemitic arson attack last year, claimed Harris' team focused heavily on his views on Israel during the selection process.
"Had I been a double agent for Israel?" Shapiro wrote, per the Times, describing an eleventh-hour question from the vice president's team.
Shapiro was said to have responded that the question was offensive, but was apparently met with the response: "Well, we have to ask."
He wrote that, while he understood that the aide was "just doing her job," the fact that he, "the only Jewish guy” in the running, was asked such questions "said a lot" about some on Harris' team.
"These sessions were completely professional and businesslike," the governor wrote. "But I just had a knot in my stomach through all of it."
A representative for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Times said. Shapiro's book is due to be published on January 27.
Shapiro was ultimately passed over for Harris’ running mate, with the former vice president picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who praised anti-Israel protesters for "speaking out for all the right reasons" and called for a Palestinian state.
But, in her 2025 memoir, 107 Days, Harris referred to Shapiro facing attacks tied to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
She said he vocalised criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while also expressing concerns that he would not be satisfied as the number two on the ticket.
Aaron Keyak, a former deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism in the State Department in Joe Biden's administration, told JNS on Sunday that Shapiro had faced an "antisemitic inquiry."
"The minimum demand of Jews in the United States and our allies – even those in public service – is to simply be treated like any other American, regardless of religion, ethnicity or race," said Keyak.
"While we can safely assume that asking all potential vice presidential picks if they are an Israeli double agent is not included on the standard list, the obvious question is why it was Governor Shapiro who was targeted by the staff of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, in particular," the ex-envoy told JNS.
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time the US government or a presidential campaign has applied a double standard to American Jews during the vetting process for a wide range of officials," he stated.
Keyak concluded by stating that "antisemitic questions are anti-American and do not represent the best that the Democratic Party offers. Now, and especially during the next presidential campaign, we must demand better".
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