ECB Board member's candid remarks on Harris spark controversy

Politico obtained previously unpublished footage. Not knowing her words were being recorded, Isabel Schnabel from the Board of the European Central Bank expressed a very unfavorable opinion about Kamala Harris.

The recording is from February, before Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election, which cleared the path for Harris to receive the Democratic Party's nomination. At that time, Schnabel participated in an expert panel. During a break, she engaged in a conversation with another panelist. During this time, her microphone was still on.

The conversation was about the U.S. presidential elections. The high-ranking European Central Bank official stated that selecting candidates in the American presidential elections "is a failure."

She further assessed Kamala Harris's performance as Vice President of the U.S.: "She would never win the election" (…)."She was invisible; I hardly know her," declared Schnabel.

On Monday, the European Central Bank issued a statement claiming the published quotes are "misleading" and that Schnabel "never publicly comments on political events."

However, Politico reminds us that in the past, those "familiar with Harris's style" have criticized her speeches, pointing out that Biden’s deputy often read from notes and rarely allowed herself to make spontaneous remarks.