OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Vice President Kamala Harris is raising funds for more recounts, but there is a massive issue with it.
The time for one recount has passed, she has not indicated that she wants one, and her campaign is in debt, which has many wondering if she is really raising funds to pay that debt, The Daily Signal reported.
The funds are being raised on the Act Blue platform which says that “The first $41,300/$15,000 from a person/multicandidate committee (“PAC”) will be allocated to the DNC. The next $3,300/$5,000 from a person/PAC will be allocated to Harris for President’s Recount Account. The next $510,000/$255,000 from a person/PAC will be split equally among the Democratic state parties from these states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY. Any additional funds will be allocated to the DNC, subject to applicable contribution limits. A contributor may designate their contribution for a particular participant by contacting [email protected]. The allocation formula above may change if following it would result in an excessive contribution.”
A week ago a group of cyber security experts sent a letter in which they claimed there was reason to request recounts in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as they claimed there was a data breach in voting systems.
But recounts in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin are now impossible as the deadline to request them has passed and the Pennsylvania deadline ends on Monday.
The Michigan law says that a campaign’s recount petition must allege that the candidate is “aggrieved on account of fraud or mistake in the canvass of the votes by the inspectors of election or the returns.” They also must be “able to allege a good-faith belief that but for fraud or mistake, the candidate would have had a reasonable chance of winning the election.”
But it is not apparently against the law the use funds for a recount for another purpose, The Signal said.
“Asked whether a campaign or candidate may redirect such funds raised for a recount for other purposes, an FEC press officer directed The Daily Signal to a March 2019 advisory opinion for the campaign of former Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat who lost a close 2018 race to Republican challenger Rick Scott,” it said.
“The commission concluded that the proposed disposal of surplus recount funds is consistent with the act since neither the charitable donation nor the donation to the national party’s recount account would be made to influence a federal election,” the advisory opinion from the FEC said. “Therefore, the use would not constitute a contribution or expenditure under the act or regulations.”
Finger-pointing has erupted over the Kamala Harris campaign’s decision to spend up to $20 million on swing-state concerts Monday night, just hours before the VP’s crushing election loss to Donald Trump.
According to the New York Post, the spending has sparked concerns that everyday staff and vendors may not get paid, as reports indicate the campaign is in debt by the same amount. If they get stiffed, it’s likely that Harris’ campaign could face legal action, especially from vendors who want what’s owed them.
Members of the defeated Harris team told The Post that the concerts had a damaging impact on the campaign’s finances, and this was no secret. One planned performance by ’90s alt-rock icon Alanis Morissette was even canceled to save money.
The seven swing-state concerts held on election eve featured performances by Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit, Christina Aguilera in Las Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, and Lady Gaga in Philadelphia, with 2 Chainz joining Harris for an eighth concert in Atlanta on November 2, just three days before the election, the outlet said.