The Trump campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris is not allowed to use the funds raised by President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. The disputed funds, amounting to around $95 million as of June, are part of a broader Republican effort to block Harris from potentially leading the Democratic ticket.
Saurav Ghosh, a lawyer from the non-partisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center, stated that since Harris was already part of the “Biden for President” campaign as the vice presidential candidate, her access to the funds should be legitimate.
The Trump campaign argued that Harris was making an audacious move to acquire funds, as mentioned in the filing by David Warrington, the campaign’s general counsel. Warrington claimed that Harris was on the verge of committing what he described as the “largest campaign finance violation in American history.”
The Harris campaign dismissed the complaint as “baseless.”
“Team Harris will continue to expand our network of over 250 coordinated offices and 1,300 coordinated staffers across the battleground states. Just as we have built upon the $240 million we had at our launch this week, raising $100 million in the first 36 hours and enlisting 58,000 volunteers,” the statement read. “Republicans might be envious of the Democratic energy to defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, but unfounded legal claims – similar to those they have made over the years to hinder voting and manipulate elections – will only divert their attention while we recruit volunteers, engage with voters, and secure victory in this election.”
Despite the urgency, election regulators are unlikely to address the issue before the presidential election on November 5.
The FEC declined to comment on pending enforcement matters.
