Is it just me, or has every big media fact-checker for the past 24 hours sounded like, “Well, Wolf, we’ve checked this out thoroughly, and it turns out that a ‘czar’ is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ‘caesar,’ which referred to a ruler with the same rank as a Roman emperor. ‘Czar’ is spelled two ways, and its variants were the official titles in the First Bulgarian Empire, which existed from the year 681 to 1018. Not only would Kamala Harris not be born for nearly another millennium, she’s not even Bulgarian. What’s more, there’s no evidence that Harris ever wore a crown, sat on a throne, or carried a scepter. So we’re giving the Republican claim that Harris was Biden’s so-called border czar a rating of ‘Pants on Fire,’ because it’s not even remotely true.”
No, Harris never held the formal title of “border czar,” because in this context “czar” is a colloquial or shorthand term for “person in charge of something.”
Joe Biden, speaking on March 24, 2021:
I’ve asked her, the VP, today — because she’s the most qualified person to do it — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.
. . . The Vice President has agreed — among the multiple other things that I have her leading — and I appreciate it — agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept re- — the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders — at their borders.
We’re already talking with Mexico about that; she’s already done that. We’re going to be dealing with a full team now that we have to be able to deal with the problem here at home, but also to deal with it now in terms of in country.
And I can think of nobody who — who is better qualified to do this than a former — this is a woman who ran the second-largest attorney general’s office in America — after the U.S. — after the United States Attorney General — in the state of California, and has done a great deal upholding human rights, but also fighting organized crime in the process.
So it’s not her full responsibility and job, but she’s leading the effort because I think the best thing to do is to put someone who, when he or she speaks, they don’t have to wonder about is that where the President is. When she speaks, she speaks for me. Doesn’t have to check with me. She knows what she’s doing, and I hope we can move this along.
But — so, Madam Vice President, thank you. I gave you a tough job, and you’re smiling, but there’s no one better capable of trying to organize this for us.
Democrats might have a better argument if they tried to argue she was the administration’s “migration czar,” but it’s not like the administration has a success story to tell on that front, either.