Kamala Harris’ campaign team allegedly asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz if he had ever been an agent for the Chinese government before selecting him as a running mate in the 2024 election. According to CNN, the Democrat governor was asked the question due to his multiple trips to China before running for office. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro allegedly received similar vetting questions, asking if he had ever been an agent of the Israeli government. Shapiro reportedly wrote in his upcoming memoir that he thought the question was “offensive.” Democrat Governor Allegedly Asked By Harris Team If He Was Ever “Agent Of The Israeli Government” When Vetted As Vice Presidential Nominee CNN shared further: Shapiro described feeling that he was being asked only because he is Jewish and adds that to be asked that “said a lot about some of the people around the VP.” Shapiro’s calling Remus out by name infuriated some in the orbit of former President Barack Obama, with whom Remus is close, having worked for him both in the White House and when he was setting up his post-presidency. Shapiro has built up an active relationship of his own with the 44th president, who officiated Remus’ wedding. But more than anything, the blow-up further aggravates a relationship between Harris and Shapiro that was fraught for years before she ever brought him in for an interview, and that is now on a potential collision course as both consider 2028 presidential runs. Harris, in her own 2024 campaign account, previously said she was concerned Shapiro “would be unable to settle for a role as number two and that it would wear on our partnership.” The four people involved with the vetting process argue that the question of being a foreign agent is standard on the forms all the politicians hoping to be picked were asked to fill out, and which is the same form used for all high-level federal government appointees. Remus’ additional questions, they say, were also a natural expansion on the form as Shapiro entered the finalist stage of consideration. Walz visited China while working as a teacher before entering politics. He returned to China multiple times, leading student trips, the New York Post noted. The Harris team questioned if Walz was ever an agent for the Chinese Communist Party, the outlet reported. ?Harris Campaign Feared Tim Walz Was a Chinese Spy Earlier this week, we learned that the Harris campaign feared the possibility of Josh Shapiro being an Israeli spy. It turns out he wasn’t the only governor whose allegiance they didn’t trust. The former vice president’s team… — Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) January 21, 2026 More from the New York Post: Harris ultimately passed over Shapiro, a decision that came after a fraught vetting process and lingering tensions between the two camps. In her own campaign account of the 2024 race, Harris suggested she worried Shapiro would struggle to accept a supporting role and could chafe as vice president — claims the Pennsylvania governor later angrily rejected through aides as “simply ridiculous.” Instead, Harris selected Walz as her running mate, touting the Minnesota governor’s Midwestern roots, military service and ability to connect with working-class voters as assets on the ticket. The pairing, however, failed to stop Donald Trump’s return to power, with Harris losing the general election by a large margin — a defeat that has since fueled renewed scrutiny of the rushed vetting process and the decisions that shaped the Democratic ticket. The Post has sought comment from Remus, who is currently a partner at the powerhouse law firm Covington & Burling.