By Some are beginning to wonder if Kamala Harris turned her presidential campaign into a money laundering scheme for her closest celebrity friends. In a move attracting significant scrutiny, Harris’s presidential campaign reportedly donated $500,000 to Al Sharpton’s National Action Network just weeks before Sharpton conducted a favorable interview with Harris on his MSNBC show, PoliticsNation. This contribution was part of a broader $5.4 million campaign spending effort to engage Black and Latino voters, as evidenced by multiple donations to advocacy groups.
Campaign finance records reveal that Harris’s team issued two $250,000 payments to the National Action Network on September 5 and October 1. Subsequently, on October 3, Harris appeared in a video tribute aired during Sharpton’s weekend show, celebrating his contributions to civil rights, reports The Washington Free Beacon.
On Oct. 3, Sharpton aired a video of Harris wishing him happy birthday on his MSNBC weekend show, PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton. “Happy birthday, Rev,” Harris said, using Sharpton’s nickname. “You have been over all of your years such an extraordinary leader. You have been a voice of truth, a voice of conscience.”
Sharpton, 70, conducted a glowing interview with Harris on Oct. 20 in which he touted her “extraordinary historic campaign” while referring to Trump as “hostile and erratic.” His questions lined up closely with messages that Harris sought to highlight on the campaign trail. Sharpton addressed concerns among black voters—especially black men—about Harris’s record as a prosecutor in California, where she was given the nickname “Kamala the Cop.” Sharpton brought up Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress, and one of Harris’s personal heroes, to put Harris’s candidacy in historical perspective. Sharpton asked Harris whether men who opposed her were “misogynistic.”
Sharpton did not disclose payments from the Harris campaign during either segment with the candidate. National Action Network did not respond to requests for comment. MSNBC also did not respond to comment requests.
Team Harris donated to the National Urban League ($2 million), the Black Economic Alliance ($150,000), and Black Church PAC ($150,000). The campaign gave donations to lesser-known groups like the Haitian Ladies Fund ($30,000) and International Free and Accepted Modern Masons ($150,000), a black freemasons organization, according to campaign finance disclosures. The Black Economic Alliance hosted a video call for 5,000 attendees days before the election to urge black men to vote for Harris. Vote to Live Action Fund, which received $275,000 from the Harris campaign, launched a $4 million initiative in October to pressure black men to vote. Harris spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an initiative to appeal to black church voters. Two of the organizations, Black Church PAC and the Institute of Church Administration and Management ($250,000), are linked to Frederick Haynes, an anti-Israel pastor who has worked with Harris for years on liberal causes.
The Harris campaign is facing major financial struggles after going into $20 million in debt, despite raising a billion dollars. On Thursday the campaign sent out an email trying to raise money to help Bob Casey’s attempt to reclaim his Senate seat despite trailing by 30,000 votes.
Gross – Kamala Harris is sending fundraising emails for Bob Casey and Marc Elias as they try to steal an election.
(the money really just goes to “Harris victory fund” to pay off her $20M campaign debt)
Bob Casey’s political career ends with a pathetic cash grab. pic.twitter.com/Zj9vJTWeO5
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) November 14, 2024
Sharpton, who draws a substantial salary from both MSNBC and National Action Network, has faced criticism for potential conflicts of interest with campaign donations. Past controversy arose from his network’s acceptance of tobacco industry funding, despite evidence that menthol cigarettes disproportionately affect Black communities.
Megyn Kelly called out Sharpton’s unethical behavior.
Sharpton has become a polarizing figure in the Democratic Party. His past anti-Semitic rhetoric, including statements made during the Crown Heights riots in Brooklyn and his actions around the 1995 Freddy’s Fashion Mart incident, continue to draw criticism, even as he maintains a significant influence within the party.
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