Trump campaign appeals to FEC over Labour’s work on Harris campaign – Washington Examiner
The Trump campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regarding allegations of foreign interference in the U.S. elections. The complaint centers around UK Labour Party activists volunteering to support Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign in pivotal battleground states. Reports surfaced that a senior Labour Party official facilitated arrangements for approximately 100 Labour staffers to canvass for Harris, prompting Trump campaign lawyer Gary Lawkowski to demand an investigation. He cited a LinkedIn post by Sofia Patel, the head of operations at Labour, who announced the initiative and offered housing support for volunteers. The post has since been removed. The legality of the activists’ trip is under scrutiny, as any costs exceeding $1,000 may qualify as a prohibited donation, with the Labour Party claiming compliance with the law.
Trump campaign files complaint with FEC over UK Labour staffers volunteering for Harris campaign
The Trump campaign is demanding that the Federal Election Commission launch an investigation into a scheme by United Kingdom Labour Party activists to volunteer to support the Harris campaign.
Reports emerged on Thursday that a top Labour Party official is helping to arrange for roughly 100 current and former Labour staffers to canvass for Vice President Kamala Harris in key battleground states. The move came under question and drew action from the Trump campaign on Tuesday.
“Those searching for foreign interference in our elections need to look no further than Ms. Patel’s LinkedIn post,” Trump campaign lawyer Gary Lawkowski wrote in an official complaint to the FEC, obtained by Politico. “The interference is occurring in plain sight.”
The news was first revealed after Sofia Patel, Labour’s head of operations, put up a post on LinkedIn saying she had about 100 current and former Labour staffers traveling to battleground states to volunteer for the Harris campaign, with 10 spots available.
“We will sort out your housing,” she said.
The LinkedIn post, referenced in the Trump campaign’s letter, has since been taken down, and Patel’s page displays an error message when reached.
The activists volunteering for the Harris campaign are walking a tightrope of legality — all travel expenses must be under $1,000 for the whole trip, or else it would count as a donation. The legality of the trip is reliant on the costs of plane tickets, rental cars, and lodging. The Labour Party insisted that the trip remains within the legal limits, as volunteers will be staying for free with Democratic Party operatives.
An FEC investigation would put a spotlight on the operation, possibly exposing any costs that go over the legal limit.
Other Republicans led the charge of outrage. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) denounced the move and told the activists to go back to the “UK and fix your own mass immigration problems that are ruining your country.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the scheme was “illegal.”
The scheme isn’t the first time major Labour figures have intervened on the side of Harris in the 2024 election, moves which risk damaging the “special relationship” the U.K. holds with the United States if former President Donald Trump wins.
“This is direct election interference by the governing Labour Party, and particularly stupid if Trump wins,” Nigel Farage, a member of Parliament with the Reform U.K. party and a close ally of Trump said on Friday. “Who is paying for all of this?”
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