CNN anchor apologises for birther tweet on Kamala Harris

A prominent CNN host has apologised for a tweet which appeared to suggest that Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin Senator, needs to prove that she was born in the US and is eligible to be the president.

Harris, 54, last week officially launched her campaign for the US presidential election in 2020 to take on President Donald Trump.

If elected, she would be the first woman and woman of colour to be the president of the United States.

Chris Cuomo said during an appearance on ABC's "The View" that he "screwed up" and that the tweet, which he sent Tuesday, was misinterpreted.

"I screwed up. I wrote a tweet, while I was doing my radio show," Cuomo told The View after he was slammed by the Harris campaign and her supporters for supporting such a birther controversy about the US Senator from California who was born in Oakland to parents who immigrated from India and Jamaica.

The tweet drew swift criticism on Twitter, with some saying that Cuomo was giving weight to the false claim that Harris who was born in Oakland is not eligible to run for president because her parents are immigrants.

Cuomo said that his tweet was intended to make the point that Harris should not have to defend herself against those accusations. He added that he made his point "poorly."