Vice President Harris suffered a slip of the tongue at a memorial service for late Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, when she seemingly mixed up her own title while delivering Jackson Lee’s eulogy.
While honoring Jackson for working to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, Harris slipped and gave herself a new title.
“It was Sheila Jackson Lee whose bill made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Which, as a United States senator, I was proud to co-sponsor. And then as president – as vice president …“ Harris said, quickly correcting herself.
“It was my honor – it was my honor, with our president, Joe Biden, to stand beside Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee as our president signed her bill into law,” Harris continued.
Jackson Lee died on July 19 at the age of 74 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her husband, Elwyn Lee, and her two children, Jason and Erica.
She also previously battled breast cancer, having been diagnosed in 2011, before announcing the following year she was cancer-free.
Harris said after Jackson Lee’s death that the congresswoman was a “tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the people of America.” The vice president also remembered her as a “dear friend for many years, and a fellow member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.”
“As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I had the opportunity to work closely with her on many issues and to observe her leadership firsthand. She was relentless – one of our nation’s fiercest, smartest, and most strategic leaders in the way she thought about how to make progress happen,” Harris said in a July 20 statement. “There was never a trite or trivial conversation with the congresswoman. She was always fighting for the people of Houston and the people of America.”
Harris said she spoke with Jackson Lee days before her death, thanking her for the impact she made on her career.
“You know, a few days before she passed, I called her, and I expressed my sincere and deep gratitude for all she had done. And I told her she had such an impact on me and my life. You know, to know Sheila is to know how she could be tough … oh my goodness, she was so loving and so encouraging, and she always encouraged me,” Harris said during the service.
Harris shared more stories about Jackson Lee’s tough love, saying there were times she would almost even want to hide from her.
“Now, there were times, I will admit, if I saw her walking down the hall. I would almost want to hide. Because I knew whatever else may be on my mind, Sheila Jackson Lee would require a very serious and specific conversation with you about what she had on her mind, and then she would tell you exactly what she needed you to do to help her get it done,” Harris said.
Harris continued her praise of Jackson Lee, noting her “unwavering belief in the power that we each have to change our country for the better.”
“Sheila Jackson Lee was a change maker. She worked with all her heart to lift up the people of her city, of her state, and of our nation. And to honor her memory, let us continue to fight to realize the promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity and justice, not just for some, but for all,” Harris said.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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