Former S.F. Mayor Willie Brown writes about dating Kamala Harris, appointing her to posts
Portrait of William Cummings William Cummings
USA TODAY
California Sen. Kamala Harris appears at a fundraiser for Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which she is a member, on Jan. 25, 2019, in Columbia, S.C.
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown addressed his past relationship with Sen. Kamala Harris in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday and acknowledged giving her appointments that furthered her career.
"Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago," wrote Brown, who said he had "been peppered with calls from the national media about my 'relationship' with Kamala Harris, particularly since it became obvious that she was going to run for president."
Harris' office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Brown's letter to the Chronicle.
Brown was married at the time he and Harris dated, but – because he had been "estranged from his wife" Blanche Brown since 1981, according to People magazine –the relationship was not kept secret. A Sacramento Bee reporter told People that Brown "had a succession of girlfriends" and would "go to a party with his wife on one arm and his girlfriend on the other.”
2020:Harris announces presidential bid on 'Good Morning America'
A 1994 Los Angeles Times report about then-California Assembly Speaker Brown's "rush to hand out patronage jobs" described Harris as Brown's "frequent companion" and said several people referred to her as Brown's girlfriend. That report also cited a column from the Chronicle's Herb Caen that called Harris "the Speaker's new steady." When they met, she was 29 and Brown was 60.
Portrait of William Cummings William Cummings
USA TODAY
California Sen. Kamala Harris appears at a fundraiser for Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which she is a member, on Jan. 25, 2019, in Columbia, S.C.
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown addressed his past relationship with Sen. Kamala Harris in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday and acknowledged giving her appointments that furthered her career.
"Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago," wrote Brown, who said he had "been peppered with calls from the national media about my 'relationship' with Kamala Harris, particularly since it became obvious that she was going to run for president."
Harris' office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Brown's letter to the Chronicle.
Brown was married at the time he and Harris dated, but – because he had been "estranged from his wife" Blanche Brown since 1981, according to People magazine –the relationship was not kept secret. A Sacramento Bee reporter told People that Brown "had a succession of girlfriends" and would "go to a party with his wife on one arm and his girlfriend on the other.”
2020:Harris announces presidential bid on 'Good Morning America'
A 1994 Los Angeles Times report about then-California Assembly Speaker Brown's "rush to hand out patronage jobs" described Harris as Brown's "frequent companion" and said several people referred to her as Brown's girlfriend. That report also cited a column from the Chronicle's Herb Caen that called Harris "the Speaker's new steady." When they met, she was 29 and Brown was 60.
Former S.F. Mayor Willie Brown writes about dating Kamala Harris, appointing her to posts
In her 2003 run for San Francisco district attorney, Kamala Harris called Willie Brown an "albatross hanging around my neck."
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