Harris pledges to appoint a Republican to her cabinet if elected

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a new interview that she plans to appoint a Republican to her cabinet if she’s elected in November.

During a clip of a CNN interview scheduled to air in full tonight, the Democratic presidential nominee said she was committed to welcoming diverse points of view.

“I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences,” Harris told CNN's Dana Bash. “And I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my Cabinet who was a Republican.”

The interview is Harris’ first since formally becoming the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden dropped out of the presidential race last month and endorsed her presidential bid.

Harris would not be the first Democratic president to appoint cabinet members from the Republican party in her administration if elected.

Former President Barack Obama nominated several Republicans to his cabinet, among them, then-Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., as transportation secretary and Robert Gates as defense secretary.

Republican presidents have also appointed members of the opposing party, including holdovers from past administrations.

Robert Work, a Democrat who served as deputy defense secretary under Obama, was a holdover in former President Donald Trump's administration.