**Conservative Activist Accuses Vice President Kamala Harris of Plagiarism in 2009 Crime Book**

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo has accused Vice President Kamala Harris of copying portions of her 2009 book, "Smart on Crime," which she co-authored while serving as the district attorney in San Francisco. Rufo's allegations, published on his Substack platform, claim that Harris lifted five passages from widely available sources, including Wikipedia and news reports.

The passages in question, totaling around 500 words in a roughly 200-page book, have sparked debate over their significance. An examination of the book by The New York Times revealed that the copied sections contained descriptions of programs or statistical details, rather than the appropriation of another author's ideas or thoughts—a practice considered the most serious form of plagiarism.

Plagiarism consultant Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today weighed in on the issue, describing the errors as relatively minor given the overall length of the book. "This amount of plagiarism amounts to an error and not an intent to defraud," Bailey commented. He criticized Rufo for magnifying what he termed "relatively minor citation mistakes" into a larger controversy.

Christopher Rufo, known for his opposition to diversity, inclusion, and equity programs, has made headlines with these claims against Harris. While the allegations have raised questions, experts like Bailey suggest that the lapse is not as serious as Rufo has made it out to be.