Donald Trump's campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), accusing Kamala Harris of a “heist” and “brazen money grab” after she inherited the funds from Joe Biden's now-ended re-election campaign.
The complaint alleges that Harris is unlawfully tapping into more than $91 million from Biden’s campaign war chest by transitioning the Biden campaign into the “Harris for President” campaign.
Biden ended his re-election bid on Sunday and notified the FEC that his committee would now support Harris, as the designated beneficiary.
The complaint, drafted by Trump campaign general counsel David Worrington, claims this transition constitutes the “single largest excessive contribution and biggest violation in the history of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended.”
Legal experts like Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center, argue that since Biden and Harris shared a campaign committee, the funds can be used for the general election if Harris remains on the Democratic ticket, either as the presidential or vice-presidential nominee.
The Trump campaign contends that Harris should not inherit contributions as she is not officially the Democratic Party's nominee yet and accuses the campaign's treasurer of “attempted fraud” by renaming and repurposing Biden’s committee through government documents.
Following Biden's campaign termination, FEC chair Sean Cooksey, appointed by Trump, highlighted a campaign finance law requiring contributions to be refunded or redesignated if a candidate doesn't run. In response, a group of House Democrats warned that Cooksey's statements could cause “uncertainty and mistrust” in the campaign finance system and democracy.
Cooksey defended his actions, stating on social media platform X, “All I did was quote federal regulations. Why are Democrats afraid of the law?”
