In a bold move Tuesday, the Trump campaign took a firm stance by filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), accusing Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign of seizing President Biden’s campaign funds following his exit from the race on Monday.
As initially reported by The New York Times, this controversy erupted when Biden’s campaign account was abruptly rebranded as “Harris for President” immediately after Biden declared he wouldn’t seek reelection.
“Kamala Harris is attempting a brazen $91.5 million heist of Joe Biden’s leftover campaign cash — a shameless money grab that would be the largest excessive contribution and biggest violation in the history of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971,” asserted Trump campaign counsel David Warrington in the complaint.
The lawsuit aims to block Harris’s access to Biden’s substantial campaign funds. While many campaign finance experts argue that Harris is entitled to these funds, given her role as Biden’s vice presidential candidate, the final decision rests with the FEC.
Since her campaign launch on Monday, Harris has shattered fundraising records, amassing over $80 million within the first 24 hours.
The complaint also calls for a criminal investigation into this alleged conduct, arguing that rebranding the committee for Harris amounts to fraud. Instead, the Trump campaign suggests Biden should refund his contributions rather than transferring them to Harris.
David Warrington didn’t mince words, stating, “The Harris campaign is on the verge of committing the largest campaign finance violation in American history, using the Commission’s own forms to do it.”
Republican FEC Chair Sean Cooksey, a Trump appointee, hinted at his disapproval of allowing Harris to access these funds, stating, “I think it’s really complicated, is the short answer. What Biden’s attempting to do is essentially transfer his entire committee, the cash, and all the assets, to another person.”
Cooksey added, “This issue will need to go through the FEC process, and I anticipate challenges both within the agency and potentially in the courts.”
Democratic Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum, who chaired the commission last year, countered Cooksey’s stance, asserting, “It’s quite clear that Vice President Harris can continue using the campaign committee and its funds.”
Steve Roberts, former general counsel to Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, echoed skepticism about Cooksey’s interpretation. “This interpretation seems like wishful thinking. Given the declarations of candidacy for 2024, the Biden campaign committee is reasonably interpreted as a shared entity between Harris and Biden. If not, Trump-Pence would have had separate committees in 2020,” Roberts explained.
Harris campaign spokesperson Charles Lutvak dismissed these concerns, emphasizing the campaign’s robust fundraising efforts. “Team Harris will continue to build on our more than 250 coordinated offices and over 1,300 staffers across battleground states. We built on the $240 million cash on hand at our launch, raising $100 million in our first 36 hours and signing up 58,000 volunteers,” he said in a statement to The Hill.
Lutvak further added, “Republicans might be envious of the Democrats’ enthusiasm to defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA allies. However, baseless legal claims, similar to those made for years to suppress votes and steal elections, will only serve to distract them while we mobilize volunteers, engage voters, and secure victory in this election.”
In essence, the battle over Biden’s campaign funds has become a significant flashpoint, reflecting deeper partisan divisions and setting the stage for a fierce electoral contest.
