Vice President Kamala Harris has a number of challenges ahead of her in the final weeks before the election and as of this week, she has to deal with yet another PR disaster. 

According to the New York Post, Harris has been exposed for alleged plagiarism in her 2009 book on criminal justice reform called “Smart on Crime."

The plagiarism allegations -- and proof -- came via Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo, who posted screenshots of plagiarized entries in her book on Monday.

The Post is now reporting that according to Rufo, Harris' publisher, Chronicle Books, is directing questions from reporters about the plagiarized entries in her book to the company's top brass.

What's happening?

The proof Rufo uploaded was damning, to say the least.

The Post noted:

Rufo posted five examples from the book in which passages nearly matched or were identical to wording used in press reports, academic studies and even a Wikipedia entry — all of which preceded the book’s publication.

The outlet added:

The allegedly plagiarized sections came from a Bureau of Justice Assistance report in 2000, an Urban Institute report in 2004, a John Jay College of Criminal Justice press release describing a 2007 award, an Associated Press article in 2008, and a Wikipedia article‘s wording in a 2008 iteration.

According to information from Rufo's investigation, Chronicle executive director of marketing and publicity Lauren Hoffman directed employees in an email chain to forward all plagiarism-related inquiries directly to her, noting that the accusations touched "a very sensitive topic."

Even though Rufo's proof is as clear as possible, the Harris campaign has already attempted to downplay the situation, describing it as efforts from "desperate" right-wing operatives.

"This is a book that’s been out for 15 years, and the Vice President clearly cited sources and statistics in footnotes and endnotes throughout," a Harris campaign spokesperson said.

J.D. Vance pounces

Donald Trump's running mate, Republican Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, immediately blasted Harris after the report surfaced.

“If you want a president with their own ideas, vote for Donald Trump. If you want a president who copies her own ideas from Wikipedia, vote for Kamala Harris," Vance said.

Vance obliterates Kamala Harris for her plagiarism:

“If you want a president with their own ideas, vote for Donald Trump. If you want a president who copies her own ideas from Wikipedia, vote for Kamala Harris.”pic.twitter.com/uKwf8Ldx1t

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) October 14, 2024

Social media users also blasted Harris, though many were not surprised that she wouldn't be capable of writing her own book with original content.