Vice President Kamala Harris was joined by several high-profile Republicans at a campaign stop in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign is dismissing accusations that she and a co-author plagiarized parts of a 2009 book on the U.S. criminal justice system as a desperate attempt by “rightwing operatives” to distract voters ahead of next month’s election.

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo surfaced allegations of plagiarism earlier this week. An expert says the claims are overblown.

Plagiarism expert Jonathan Bailey said Vice President Harris’s 2009 book showed signs of “sloppy writing habits” but pushed back on claims that the Democratic nominee engaged in “wholesale fraud.” In an article published Tuesday in “Plagiarism Today,