When she took office in January 2017, Harris became the first Indian American and only the second Black American woman in the Senate (the first being Carol Moseley Braun). She joined the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. She also began serving on both the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee, among other assignments. She became known for her prosecutorial style of addressing witnesses during hearings, which provoked criticism—and occasional interruptions—from Republican senators. In June she drew particular attention for her questioning of U.S. Attorney General
Jeff Sessions, who was testifying before the intelligence committee on
alleged Russian interference in the
2016 presidential election; she had earlier called on him to resign.
Another notable exchange came during the 2018 confirmation hearing for Supreme Court
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in which she asked him about his position on
Roe v. Wade, the ruling that granted women the right to have an
abortion.
Kamala Harris | Biography, Policies, Family, & Facts