US President Biden collected millions in donations when he was a presidential candidate. There is a dispute over whether the possible replacement candidate Harris can access these. Her rival has filed a complaint.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reportedly wants to prevent US Vice President Kamala Harris from accessing certain campaign funds. The New York Times and CNN reported that the Republican’s team had filed a complaint with the US Federal Campaign Finance Commission (FEC). Trump’s team accuses Harris of violating campaign finance laws because she is accessing funds previously collected by US President Joe Biden when he was still a presidential candidate.
“Kamala Harris is trying to steal Joe Biden’s remaining campaign funds of $91.5 million,” the newspaper and broadcaster quoted from the complaint filed by Trump’s legal adviser David Warrington. This is a “blatant” violation of the law. Warrington argues, among other things, that Harris is not entitled to the money because she is not yet the official candidate. It also states that Biden cannot simply pass on the money because he is no longer running and therefore no longer has a claim to the millions.
Complaint from Team Trump was expected
The move by Trump’s team is hardly surprising. The use of the donations that Biden collected during the election campaign has been discussed ever since Biden’s withdrawal became apparent. Biden’s team had the name of his campaign changed from “Biden for President” to “Harris for President” after his withdrawal.
Several legal experts argue that Harris’ access to the money is legal because her name was also registered as a running mate. Others, however, conclude that Harris cannot access the money so easily. The dispute is unlikely to be resolved by Election Day on November 5.
