During her presidential bid, Harris faced backlash for her declining to support a 2015 bill that would have required the state attorney general’s office, which she occupied at the time, to investigate all fatal police-involved shootings. On the campaign trail in 2019, Harris denied allegations that she had opposed the bill, instead arguing that while attorney general she had declined to take a position on this bill and others as a matter of policy.

“So, I did not oppose the bill. I had a process when I was attorney general of not weighing in on bills and initiatives, because as attorney general, I had a responsibility for writing the title and summary,” Harris told CNN’s Jake Tapper when asked about her policy stance. “So I did not weigh in.”

Opponents have bristled that Harris’ declination to support the bill reflects Harris’ private opposition to it. Asked about this by The New York Times in 2019, a spokesperson for Harris’ campaign told the Times that Harris “expressed that she had concern about taking discretion away from local district attorneys who are held accountable by their constituents.”