Kamala Harris Says No to the Separation of Church and State

Although Kamala Harris is rumored to be vice president of the United States, no-one knows what she’s doing or where she is most of the time. She has managed, thus far, to keep a profile lower than a snake’s belly. Nevertheless, the woman who ran the least successful presidential campaign in American history, if one ignores Beto O’Rourke, managed to secure the second-to-top job in the federal government, surpassed only by a struggling white guy. Quite a role model for young women everywhere. But, worthy or not, Ms. Harris has proved she can flout federal law with the best of them. Perhaps that’s what she considers women’s empowerment.

Not to be outdone by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who again recently violated the Hatch Act, Harris decided to lecture Virginia churchgoers on the subject of who they should vote for in that state’s upcoming gubernatorial election. While presidents and vice presidents are exempt from the prohibitions of the Hatch Act, they are not allowed to violate the Johnson Amendment – but that appears to be the danger zone into which Harris has wandered.

Left-wingers in America love to talk about “the separation of church and state.” They repeat this mantra as if it is written in the Constitution, which it isn’t. When it comes to using places of worship to disseminate political messaging, though, progressives have no qualms about mixing religion and politics. Thus, Harris recorded a strong and direct endorsement of Terry McCauliffe that is being played in churches across Virginia in direct violation of the Johnson Amendment.

Named for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson in 1954, the Johnson Amendment is an addition to the Internal Revenue Code addressing tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. In broad terms, it forbids these entities from openly advocating or opposing candidates for political office. Harris recorded an endorsement of McCauliffe that was tailored specifically to be played in churches during Sunday worship services. Digging into the legal technicalities, then, Harris may not herself be violating the Johnson Amendment, but she is certainly compelling or encouraging churches to do so by playing her message to their congregations.

Though it has gotten to the point where it is a daunting task indeed to keep track of the number of times Biden administration officials have bent or broken federal law, the problem goes beyond partisan politics. Countless American citizens have, at one time or another, had to deal with the financially and emotionally damaging consequences of breaking a law, even if the transgression lacked malice or any attempt to do harm. Politicians and unelected government officials, by contrast, almost routinely violate or bend federal laws and get away with it.

At what point do the people decide the two-tier justice system that clearly exists is intolerable? If an individual occupying the office of vice president of the United States can bend a federal law to her advantage, why should anybody else be punished for doing the same?

~ Read more from Graham J Noble.