Harris Didn’t Refuse to Be Sworn in Using Bible
The Claim
When U.S. Senator Kamala Harris was sworn in, she refused to use the bible.
News posted on
Emerging story
In mid-August 2020, following Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s choice of Harris as running mate, social media users began circulating the claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the claim is false. Harris was sworn in to the U.S. Senate representing California in 2017. The video below shows her being sworn in on a bible.
Harris identifies as an interfaith mix of Baptist and Hindu.
She once said, regarding African-Americans and Christianity, “When abolitionists spoke out and civil rights workers marched, their oppressors said they were dividing the races and violating the word of God. But Fredrick Douglass said it best and Harriet Tubman and Dr. King knew. To love the religion of Jesus is to hate the religion of the slave master.”
Further, it is not a requirement to be sworn in on the bible or any other religious text. Although Harris was sworn in on the bible, she would have been well within her rights to refuse.
