Trump campaign official calls out Harris team for eyeing ‘escape hatch’ ahead of debate: ‘They’re afraid’

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is looking for an “escape hatch” ahead of next Tuesday’s ABC News presidential debate, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told Fox News.

Harris’ team has notably pushed to tweak the rules surrounding microphones during the debate, slated for Sept. 10, backtracking on formerly solidified agreements to have muted mics during the opposing candidate’s speaking time. 

Now, her campaign stands accused of looking for a way out.

“They’re afraid,” Miller told “Sunday Morning Futures” guest host Sean Duffy.

HARRIS CAMPAIGN REFUSES TO SIGN OFF ON MUTED MIC DEBATE RULES: STILL ‘IN DISCUSSIONS’ WITH ABC

“They don’t want to put Kamala Harris out there, and you want to know why? Because she’s going to have to answer for every bit of this last three and a half years. You can’t talk about turning the page when you’re the one who broke the economy, broke the border, broke the world, but that’s on Kamala, and she’s going to have to account for that when she’s on the debate stage.”

The Harris campaign has still refused to sign off on the rules already agreed upon for the upcoming debate, which were initially supposed to mirror the guidelines outlined for the CNN debate held between former President Trump and President Biden in June.

“The memo sent by ABC is a draft set of rules that both campaigns need to sign off on and indicate agreement. We have not done so because we think both candidates have expressed a clear desire to have hot mics. Not clear why Trump staff is overruling their principal, who should be capable of making up his own mind,” Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon wrote in an X post on Thursday.

TRUMP TAKES SHOTS AT ABC HOSTS, SUGGESTS HE COULD PULL OUT OF DEBATE

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump greets supporters following a town hall campaign event on August 29, 2024 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Trump’s campaign team insists the ABC debate keep existing rules. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

He continued, “We have been asked to accede to Trump’s handlers’ wishes on this point for the sake of preserving the debate. We find the Trump’s (sic) team’s stance to be weak, and remain in discussions with ABC on the final rules.”

Miller contradicted the Harris campaign’s claims, arguing that they now realize “what they’re working with” after prepping Harris for the faceoff.

“The Harris campaign is looking for an escape hatch, looking for a way to get out of this debate,” he said.

“To be clear, these are the rules that the Democrats wrote. These are the rules we had in place for the CNN debate. Everyone had agreed to the rules, at least informally, with ABC. We have a deal with ABC. ABC is with us all the way on this, but here’s what I think happened. I think the Harris folks started going into debate prep, and now they realize what they’re working with. They realize that they’re in real trouble with Kamala Harris.”

TRUMP, HARRIS SET FOR PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON ABC ON SEPTEMBER 10

He continued, “They also know that President Trump is the greatest debater in modern political history, so I think they’re nervous and want a way out.”

Fox News Digital previously contacted the Harris campaign to request comment on the matter, while ABC declined to comment.

Miller, in remarks to Fox News Digital, said, “The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed upon rules. If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem.” 

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Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.