{"id":2308521,"date":"2024-07-25T21:14:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T01:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-accused-of-egregious-violation-of-federal-law-in-campaign-finance-complaint\/"},"modified":"2024-07-25T21:15:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T01:15:28","slug":"kamala-harris-faces-campaign-finance-complaint-for-alleged-federal-law-violation-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-faces-campaign-finance-complaint-for-alleged-federal-law-violation-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Kamala Harris Faces Campaign Finance Complaint for Alleged Federal Law Violation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkamala-harris-faces-campaign-finance-complaint-for-alleged-federal-law-violation-6%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2308521&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; presidential campaign has\u2064 faced a complaint from the conservative group Citizens United, along with Republican officials from 16\u200d states and the Virgin Islands. They argue \u2062that Harris should not inherit \u200dover $90 million in funds accumulated by the\u2064 Biden campaign, as both she and \u200bPresident Biden have not been \u200cofficially nominated for their party. The complaint, filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), cites violations of federal election\u200c law regarding the unauthorized \u2064use of campaign funds.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy stems from a federal statute which allows contributions made to candidates for Vice President to be considered for \u2064the President if they are nominees. Since neither Biden nor Harris currently holds the nomination, the complaint suggests Harris is ineligible to access these funds. Some legal \u200bexperts, including a Democratic\u2063 FEC member, believe Harris does have a right to the funds because she is part of the campaign committee. Meanwhile, the\u200b timeline for the FEC&#8217;s investigation\u200d raises concerns about the potential impact before the upcoming election. Although enforcement actions typically \u2062take\u2064 years, political ramifications could unfold rapidly for the Harris campaign.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section>\n<p>Does Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo; run for president have a right to inherit the Biden-for-president campaign war chest?<\/p>\n<p>Not if a heavyweight conservative group has anything to say about it.<\/p>\n<p>The conservative group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensunited.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citizens United<\/a>, and Republican Party officials from 16 states and the Virgin Islands have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission aimed at stopping what the groups call an &ldquo;egregious violation&rdquo; of federal election law.<\/p>\n<p>In the complaint <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensunited.org\/citizens-united-david-bossie-and-17-state-territorial-republican-parties-file-fec-complaint-against-kamala-harris-for-president-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed Wednesday<\/a>, the group Citizens United and the GOP officials objected to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/replacing-biden-wont-solve-democrats-problems-look-will-inherit-campaign-war-chest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harris taking over<\/a> more than $90 million in campaign funds raised before Sunday&rsquo;s announcement that President Joe Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">was dropping out<\/a> of the race.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint demanded the FEC &ldquo;investigate this unlawful conversion of campaign funds and assets without delay.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It speaks volumes that more so-called &lsquo;good government&rsquo; groups aren&rsquo;t sounding the alarm about this egregious violation,&rdquo; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensunited.org\/citizens-united-david-bossie-and-17-state-territorial-republican-parties-file-fec-complaint-against-kamala-harris-for-president-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> announcing the complaint said.<\/p>\n<p>The root of the complaint is simple: Whatever their current offices are, neither Biden nor Harris are currently their party&rsquo;s nominee for president.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-faces-campaign-finance-complaint-for-alleged-federal-law-violation-2\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Faces Campaign Finance Complaint for Alleged Federal Law Violation\">complaint cited federal election law &#038;mdash<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?path=\/prelim@title52\/subtitle3\/chapter301&amp;edition=prelim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">US Code 16(a)(7)(D)<\/a> &mdash; which states that &ldquo;contributions made to or for the benefit of any candidate nominated by a political party for election to the office of Vice President of the United States shall be considered to be contributions made to or for the benefit of the candidate of such party for election to the office of President of the United States.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It also cited an advisory opinion that, according to the complaint, was issued by the FEC in 2008 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/flashback-biden-brags-slave-state-attract-southern-votes-2008\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">when Biden sought<\/a> the Democratic nomination against a field that included Barack Obama). The opinion said, according to the complaint, that &ldquo;presidential and vice presidential candidates of the same political party may  a single authorized committee so long as they are the nominees of that party.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Since neither Biden nor Harris have been officially nominated, according to the complaint, Harris is ineligible to take over the war chest.<\/p>\n<p>Citizens United is a conservative organization, of course, but even the liberal NPR acknowledged in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/07\/23\/g-s1-12807\/harris-biden-fec-campaign-finance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report on Tuesday<\/a> that there were questions about the money.<\/p>\n<p>The report cited a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SeanJCooksey\/status\/1815089842365321563\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media post<\/a> published Monday by FEC Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/about\/leadership-and-structure\/sean-j-cooksey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sean Cooksey<\/a> &mdash; a Republican appointed in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-faces-campaign-finance-complaint-for-alleged-federal-law-violation\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Faces Campaign Finance Complaint for Alleged Federal Law Violation\">citing federal campaign finance regulations<\/a> that that &ldquo;if a candidate is not a candidate in the general election&rdquo; the money needs to be refunded or officially redesignated.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s really complicated, is the short answer,&rdquo; he told NPR.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to have to go through a process through the FEC. I think I expect there&rsquo;s going to probably be challenges to that at the agency and probably in the courts, as well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, a Democratic member of the FEC, Vice Chairwoman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/about\/leadership-and-structure\/ellen-l-weintraub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ellen Weintraub<\/a>, told NPR the matter is cut and dried &mdash; and Harris has a right to the funds.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t look that complicated to me,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Harris&rsquo; name has been part of the Biden fundraising committee, she said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The bottom line is it&rsquo;s the same committee,&rdquo; Wientraub, who has served on the FEC since being appointed in 2002 by then-President George W. Bush, told NPR. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s always been part of that committee; she never had a separate contribution limit apart from this committee that her name&rsquo;s already on. It&rsquo;s not just me. Lawyers all over town seem to be saying the same thing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Someone could undoubtedly come up with a technical argument, and I would keep an open mind, but it doesn&rsquo;t seem all that complicated to me.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Citizens United filed that &ldquo;technical argument.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But the group &mdash; which won a <a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/558\/310\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">landmark Supreme Court case<\/a> in 2010 that bears its name &mdash; isn&rsquo;t playing it as &ldquo;technical&rdquo; at all.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the Citizens United release urged the FEC to act in response to what it called the Harris campaign&rsquo;s &ldquo;brazen violations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/registered-foreign-agent-gave-200k-to-mcauliffe-campaign\/\" title=\"Registered Foreign Agent Gave 0K to McAuliffe Campaign\">federal campaign finance law<\/a> by misappropriating $96 million in Biden for President campaign funds.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The FEC must investigate this unlawful conversion of campaign funds and assets without delay,&rdquo; the news release said.<\/p>\n<p>The real question is whether the FEC will investigate and come to a decision in time to affect the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<p>That appears unlikely, NPR reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Harris would almost certainly have access to the funds through the compressed campaign, and there&rsquo;s little to nothing the FEC can do about it because of the timeline,&rdquo; NPR reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Campaign violations are often penalized years later, and monetary penalties are usually relatively nominal to the millions, if not billions, of dollars spent on campaigns,&rdquo; the report noted.<\/p>\n<p>Weintraub, the Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/federal-elections-chief-issues-warning-election-night\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">with a long history<\/a> on the FEC, seemed resigned to exactly that outcome &mdash; for some reason.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The odds of all this happening and getting resolved before November are, practically speaking, not very good,&rdquo; she told NPR.<\/p>\n<p>And Democrats and the Harris campaign have every reason to hope she&rsquo;s right.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is Vice President Kamala Harris entitled to take over the Biden-for-president campaign funds? A prominent conservative organization, Citizens United, along with Republican officials from 16 states and the Virgin Islands, is challenging this notion. They have submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), claiming that Harris&#8217;s potential acquisition of over $90 million in campaign funds, raised prior to President Joe Biden&#8217;s announcement of his withdrawal from the race, constitutes a serious breach of federal election law. The complaint, filed on Wednesday, urges the FEC to promptly investigate what they describe as an &#8220;unlawful conversion&#8221; of campaign resources.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint highlights that neither Biden nor Harris is currently the official nominee for their party, which is central to their argument. They reference federal election law\u2014specifically US Code 16(a)(7)(D)\u2014which stipulates that contributions made for a candidate nominated for Vice President should be considered as contributions for the presidential candidate of the same party. Additionally, they cite a 2008 FEC advisory opinion stating that presidential and vice-presidential candidates from the same party can share a single authorized committee only if they are the party&#8217;s nominees. Since neither Biden nor Harris has been officially nominated, the complaint asserts that Harris should not be allowed to access the campaign funds.<\/p>\n<p>While Citizens United is a conservative group, even liberal outlets like NPR have acknowledged the complexities surrounding the funds. FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey, a Republican, indicated that if a candidate is not running in the general election, the funds must either be refunded or reallocated. He expressed that the situation is complicated and may lead to challenges within the FEC and possibly in court.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, Democratic FEC Vice Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub believes the issue is straightforward, asserting that Harris has a legitimate claim to the funds since she has always been part of the Biden fundraising committee. She noted that there has never been a separate contribution limit for her apart from this committee.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Citizens United reiterated its position, framing the issue as a significant violation of federal campaign finance law and calling for immediate FEC action. The pressing question now is whether the FEC will investigate and reach a conclusion in time to influence the 2024 election, which seems unlikely according to NPR. They reported that Harris would likely have access to the funds due to the tight campaign timeline, and that campaign violations are often addressed long after the fact, with penalties typically being minor compared to the vast sums involved in campaigns. Weintraub acknowledged that the chances of resolving this matter before November are slim, a situation that Democrats and the Harris campaign are likely hoping for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2308522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kamala-Harris-campaign-finance-violation.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33926,36234,32438,36235,32603],"class_list":["post-2308521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-campaign-finance","tag-federal-law-violation","tag-kamala-harris","tag-legal-complaint","tag-political-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kamala-Harris-campaign-finance-violation.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2308521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2308522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2308521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2308521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2308521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}