Shapiro Claims Harris Vetting Team Questioned Him About Being an ‘Israeli Agent’

In a revelation that has sent shockwaves through American political circles, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro claims in his forthcoming memoir that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s team asked whether he was an “agent” of Israel during the 2024 vice presidential vetting process. The explosive detail was first reported Sunday by The New York Times in an advance copy of Shapiro’s book, Where We Keep the Light, set for release on January 27.

Shapiro, who is Jewish and a vocal supporter of Israel, wrote that the question came late in the process and left him with “a knot in my stomach.” He described the meetings as professional in tone, but deeply unsettling in content.

“Had I been a double agent for Israel?” he recalled being asked. When he pushed back, he was told, “Well, we have to ask.”

Shapiro responded that the question was offensive, noting that he was the only Jewish candidate being vetted. “That said a lot,” he wrote. His home had previously been targeted in an antisemitic arson attack, making the question particularly painful.

Ultimately, Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz, unlike Shapiro, had praised anti-Israel protesters and called for a Palestinian state stances that aligned with Harris’s base, but which raised red flags for many Jewish voters concerned with rising antisemitism and hostility toward Israel within progressive circles.

Harris’s office has not responded to the Times’ request for comment on the report. However, Shapiro’s account has already triggered fierce backlash. Aaron Keyak, former deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism at the U.S. State Department, called the vetting inquiry “an antisemitic inquiry” and “anti-American.”

“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,” Keyak said in an interview with JNS. He added that during his own time in government, he had also faced double standards in vetting that his non-Jewish peers did not.

The Harris campaign has previously touted diversity and inclusion as central tenets of its platform, but this latest disclosure casts a long shadow over how American Jews especially those with pro-Israel views are treated within certain political environments.

In her own memoir, 107 Days, Harris alluded to Shapiro’s criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and referenced the political fallout he faced during the Gaza conflict. Yet, her decision to pass over Shapiro despite his executive experience and national appeal now appears to have been shaped, at least in part, by concerns about his support for Israel.

As the 2028 presidential race begins to take shape, Jewish Americans and allies are demanding clarity and accountability. The expectation is simple: equal treatment, free from suspicion, innuendo, or ideological litmus tests based on faith or ethnicity.

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