Senator Kamala D. Harris will remain on the Judiciary Committee after the conclusion of an agreement with the Republicans

Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Potential candidate for the presidency of 2020, will occupy an important place in the Judiciary Committee, at the risk of losing to the gains of Republicans in the House, the leader of the minority in the Senate, Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.). ), said Tuesday

Harris, a former attorney and attorney general of the state of California, was at risk of losing his seat, the committees being reconfigured to reflect the widening of the majority of Republicans from the month next. Harris is the junior member of the panel.

But Senate leaders reached an agreement with the Republicans to expand the size of the committee, a decision that will allow Harris to stay and another GOP member to join the panel, according to a person familiar with the issue. an arrangement that required anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

"Good news this morning: @SenKamalaHarris will be able to stay on the Judiciary Committee!" Schumer said on Twitter, adding, "As a former prosecutor, @SenKamalaHarris has been striving every day to institute a fairer justice system for all Americans. I am proud that we have managed to maintain our seat on the Judiciary Committee of the Senate. "

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Adding a seat to the Republican Party from the rostrum could be a problem for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), GOP has always had a hard time recruiting members to the committee overseeing appointments to the judiciary and issues such as firearms, immigration and abortion.

Judicial Committee Investigations and Supreme Court Confirmation Battles Provided Coverage regular media coverage since the entrance of President Trump into the Oval Office is the kind of revelation that a new senator could dream in general, and with topics ranging from the Attorney General's confirmation to the investigation's oversight of special advocate Robert S. Mueller III on next year's agenda, his spotlight will not fade anytime soon. [19659010] In a Senate overflowing with lawyers, Harris is seen as l & # 39, one of the Democratic Party's most talented interrogators – skills she demonstrated at the disputed hearing before the committee to address allegations of sexual assault against Brett M. Kavanaugh, who finally got confirmation from the Senate before the Supreme Court. . She is also one of only two African Americans to sit on the committee – the other being Senator Cory Booker (NJ), the youngest member of the Democrats, who also has presidential aspirations.

Shortly after the mid-term election, Harris. told Schumer that she wanted to stay on the committee, according to her spokeswoman, Lily Adams.

For Democrats who have repeatedly said that the Republican side of the podium is all masculine and all white, the prospect of losing Harris is anathema. 19659013] A range of Liberal groups also lobbied for it to continue on the committee.

After this year's mid-term elections, Republicans increase the number of seats they occupy in the Senate from 51 to 53.

Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.