But Harris has in the past painted a very different picture of the influence Brown, who she at a point considered a mentor , had in her career. While Brown claims he had a hand at electing her during her first district attorney bid, his role was much more limited. The former mayor donated $500 to the campaign and then had a political consultant raise money for her, even though she had not agreed to the pitch. In fact, Harris was intent in distancing herself from Brown in 2003 and made it clear that as a district attorney she would prosecute him if necessary, as his political career was filled with corruption allegations — which is probably why Brown ended his open letter by bitterly referencing the possibility of being indicted.