President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)q
- The Magnolia State GOP’s entry would bring the total to 17 Republican state parties and one U.S. territory GOP party alleging that the $96 million transfer from Biden to Harris is illegal.
Sixteen Republican state parties and one territory GOP party have joined together to file a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) over the transfer of funds from the Biden campaign to the Harris campaign.
The state GOP parties signing on to lawsuit currently include Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, along with the U.S. territory of the Virgin Islands.
Mississippi, one of the most conservative states in the nation, is not listed among the group. However, according to Mississippi Republican Party chairman Mike Hurst, the MSGOP plans to join the litigation in the coming days.
The state parties, along with Citizens United, allege that the transfer of $96 million in funds from President Joe Biden’s campaign to his Vice President Kamala Harris is illegal as it is “a massively excessive contribution.”
Biden agreed to step aside on Sunday, ending his White House re-election bid. Soon thereafter, Biden endorsed Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Citizens United, the same group that challenged campaign finance restrictions in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 2010, called the transfer “brazen violations of federal campaign finance law.”
“The FEC must investigate this unlawful conversion of campaign funds and assets without delay,” the group stated.
David Bossie, former President Donald Trump’s deputy campaign manager in 2016, is the Chairman and President of Citizens United.
Former President Trump’s campaign, the Republican presidential nominee for a third consecutive election cycle, has also filed a complaint with the FEC over the transaction.
According to the lawsuit, the groups claim that by seizing control of the Biden campaign committee as her own campaign committee for her new presidential campaign, “Kamala Harris has misappropriated the Committee’s funds and all of its non-monetary assets, thereby accepting an excessive contribution from Biden for President of approximately $96 million at the very least.”
Harris’ campaign has called the complaint “baseless,” saying Republicans are “jealous” over the energy her being the presumptive nominee has created.
The FEC has not commented on the complaint.
