Vice President Kamala Harris, who for years has bashed the U.S. Supreme Court when it disagrees with her politics, on Tuesday lectured Israelis about the need for "an independent judiciary."
Harris's comments, which came at the Israeli embassy's reception for the anniversary of the country's founding, were a reference to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial reforms, which the Biden administration opposes.
While Harris spoke about the sanctity of the Israeli judiciary, she does not appear to feel the same about the U.S. Supreme Court. As a senator, she said that constitutionally above-board confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were a "sham" and "an illegitimate process," respectively.
Following the Supreme Court's decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, Harris blasted the body as "an activist Court" that took away a "constitutional right." She went on to cast doubt on the ruling's legitimacy, saying she had "great concern about the integrity of the Court."
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said that Harris in her Tuesday remarks didn't know what she was talking about, Reuters reported.
"If you ask her what troubles her about the reform, she may not be able to cite even one clause that bothers her," Cohen told Israel's public broadcaster. "I don't know whether she read the bill. My estimation is that she has not."
Netanyahu has suspended the reforms to negotiate a consensus with opposition parties.
Update 1:43 p.m.: This piece has been updated for clarity since publication.