A communications director for former Vice President Kamala Harris, Jamal Simmons, created a so-called “death-pool roster” of federal judges appointed by Republicans. This roster could have sworn in Harris as president in the event of President Joe Biden’s sudden death, as revealed in a new book titled “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House.”
The book, published on Tuesday by William Morrow and Company, claims that Simmons meticulously crafted an entire communications strategy to prepare for the possibility of Biden’s death.
The book, authored by political journalists Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill, suggests that Simmons envisioned the unexpected loss of Biden as akin to Lyndon B. Johnson’s swearing-in on Air Force One following John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attend a campaign event in Manassas, Virginia, on Jan. 23, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
However, Simmons was also concerned about the potential backlash from the public and, particularly, from “Trump people,” if Harris were to become president. He feared that this could undermine her legitimacy as the leader of the nation.
Simmons believed that if Harris were sworn in promptly due to Biden’s unexpected death, it would strengthen her legitimacy. However, he was concerned that her legitimacy might be questioned, recalling the January 6th attempt to prevent Biden’s certification as president.
In response, Simmons created a spreadsheet of various Republican-nominated judges who could potentially bolster her legitimacy.
He believed that the most effective validator would be a federal judge appointed by a Republican other than Trump. Simmons compiled a comprehensive spreadsheet of these jurists across the country, including a city-by-city breakdown, and carried it with him during his travels with Harris.
Simmons clarified that he never informed Harris about the “death-pool roster” before his departure with her communications team in January 2023. However, he instructed his colleagues to notify him immediately if anything happened to Biden so that he could implement the communications strategy. Ultimately, Simmons left the spreadsheet with another Harris staffer, as per the book.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on stage at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The book did not disclose the specific judges included on the list.
The book also provides insights into former President Barack Obama’s hesitation to endorse Harris in the 2024 election to replace Biden. Obama expressed concerns about Harris’ mental fitness and questioned Biden and Harris’ political abilities.
According to the book, Obama doubted Harris’ ability to defeat the incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 2024 race, which frustrated Harris.
“Fight” chronicles Trump’s second term in the White House and its impact on the Democratic Party. The book’s description mentions that Allen and Parnes conducted interviews with over 150 political insiders.
