Conservative media is keeping tabs on Kamala Harris | McClatchy Washington Bureau

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris has given little public consideration to running for president in 2020. But the conservative media is all over it already.

While the freshman Democrat from California is a star in the making for liberal pundits, Harris has become a growing target of far-right websites, which are often vehicles for undesirable and unflattering tidbits of opposition research.

This week, the Washington Free Beacon ran a story about her campaign renting office space from a travel agency on Capitol Hill, citing Federal Election Commission filings. Such offices are commonly used for officeholders to conduct their political affairs, including making phone calls to prospective donors.

Still, the Free Beacon found it worthy of a report. The site said it “went to the office building and found that Carroll Travel is no longer listed on the main floor directory.” And the publication quoted a “presidential campaign veteran” who said the move could cause backlash at home if constituents feel like they’re being neglected.

The Free Beacon recently ran a photograph of Harris looking shocked (Breitbart has also used the picture) next to a story about how her campaign committees in years past paid tens of thousands to committees for Maxine Waters. The money supported mailers announcing the congresswoman’s endorsement of Harris. Another story noted Harris brought on a number of former Hillary Clinton campaign veterans to work on her staff in Washington, D.C.

A couple weeks ago, it carried a story that Harris paid more than $400,000 to Revolution Messaging, the online media firm that helped Bernie Sanders during his run for president. An earlier headline read “Sen. Harris Drops F-Bomb at Public Event” after she used the word on a popular liberal podcast. Harris’ campaign did not respond to any of the publication’s requests for comment.

While scrutiny of Harris appears on the upswing, she’s sporadically received similar treatment at home. After the June 2016 primary, Breitbart ran an unflattering piece under the headline “Kamala Harris – Leftist Senator From California and Next Democratic Star.”