Harris's team speaks out about campaign debt

US Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and the Democratic National Committee spent nearly $1.5 billion in their unsuccessful presidential campaign.

The above figure was released by Ms. Harris's campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), according to Bloomberg today, November 16.

Conservative media outlets have previously reported that Harris's unsuccessful campaign spent lavishly on events featuring celebrities like Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey, donations to activist groups, private jets and consultants.

Oprah Winfrey and Democratic presidential candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign rally by Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) on November 4.

But those spending, as well as the huge spending on advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts, did not result in a budget deficit, according to Bloomberg, citing statements from Ms. Harris' campaign and the DNC.

“As of Election Day, there are no outstanding debts or past-due invoices,” said Patrick Stauffer, Harris’ campaign finance director. He added that “there will be no outstanding debts” when the campaign and the DNC file their next reports to the Federal Election Commission on Dec. 5, which will cover spending from Oct. 17 to Nov. 25.

Trump calls for help for Harris to pay off $20 million in campaign debt

Criticism of some payments, such as the $1 million paid to Winfrey’s production company to stage the event, does not take into account campaign finance laws, which prohibit businesses from contributing to campaigns or providing services at below-market rates, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. While celebrities like Winfrey can appear at events for free, the campaign must pay for the costs of hosting the events.

According to the same source, since losing to US President-elect Donald Trump after the official election day of November 5, Ms. Harris's campaign has stopped raising money and is gradually ending. This process can take months or years to receive and pay bills.

Earlier, Politico reporter Christopher Cadelago on November 6 quoted a well-informed source as saying that Ms. Harris’s campaign fund had $118 million left as of October 16. However, the campaign ended with at least $20 million in debt.

In addition, DNC finance official Lindy Li called Harris's campaign a "billion-dollar disaster." In an interview with Fox News on November 10, Lindy Li said the campaign was $18-20 million in debt. "Harris' campaign leader Jen O'Malley Dillon promised all of us that Harris would win," Li said, adding that such promises motivated donors to believe in her and donate large sums of money, but they failed.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhom-ba-harris-len-tieng-ve-thong-tin-no-nan-tranh-cu-18524111614550866.htm