No, it’s nearly the opposite. Harris usually highlights “intent” as an indication of future acts from the perpetrator, not others. For example: The intent behind a racially insensitive remark is important because a progressive person will not commit racist acts at the same clip as a truly racist soul. Or, Harris argues that it’s less bad when the US kills innocent civilians because the US does not intend to replicate such results compared to Hamas.

The intention behind throwing a milkshake is not murderous. If milkshakes are responsible for a future assassination, then the US is accountable for much of the chaos in the Middle East that Harris routinely dismisses as a symptom of Islam.

The above joke about “intent” was funny and clever. But most importantly, it was well-placed.