Axios has a story out this week that disclosed that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) continued to pay off the debts from former Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Over $15 million has already been paid out by the DNC, which is reportedly struggling to raise money in the aftermath of a failed campaign. Axios described it as a “private agreement” that was not disclosed to donors, who unknowingly contributed to the Harris campaign rather than the campaigns to retake the House and Senate. The question is whether such private agreements are lawful if not disclosed to donors. Harris shocked many in burning through over $1.5 billion in her brief 15-week campaign. Donors were irate over wasteful and excessive spending by Harris and her campaign. That has contributed to the poor fundraising figures reported from the DNC.
The article is likely to increase the anger of donors who have been reluctant to contribute after the wild spending of the Harris campaign. The notion of a bait-and-switch is even greater after the Harris campaign denied it had lingering debts that would have to be paid off by the DNC.
What is particularly shocking is that the Axios report said that in the “first six months of 2025,” the DNC has spent over $15 million on Harris’s debts. Politico is reporting that the DNC only raised $15 million as of the end of June in comparison to the Republican National Committee (RNC) having $80 million “on hand.”
The amount reported by Axios may be low. The New York Times reported that the DNC “covered” roughly $20.5 million in “post-election bills” for Harris’s campaign.
My assumption is that, absent a pledge to spend on future campaigns, the use of donations for debts (even of past candidates) is lawful. It is not without legitimate questions when the DNC is raising money on the pledge to retake Congress in 2026. The DNC can argue that money is fungible and paying off debts is part of its operating budget. However, at a minimum, there is a concerning lack of transparency and disclosure in the “private agreement” with Harris.
In the meantime, Harris is starting a book tour for her book “107 Days,” which promises that Harris will “tell the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in American history.” It likely does not include a chapter on burning through a record $1.5 billion, which was insufficient even with supportive media, to secure the White House.
Can a party be in more shambles than the Democrat party? They are losing voters. People wont donate money. $1.5B in 107 days and they still lost.
Democrats, if you want to get voters back, see money coming in, you have to get off the stupid and crazy policies that few if not no one cares about! And, the far-left woke wing that has taken over your party, give them the boot! Just read the comments by Gigi, George, Wally, the truly dumb annony moron. Those are the people you need to get out of your party!
This report is unsurprising. It shows the Democrats love to spend money without transparency, to continue to spend money on failure, that debt has no meaning, and to deceive its supporters by not disclosing how money is spent. In short, the Democrats spend their own money in the same way they spend public money, with deceit and secrecy.
An intelligent retort, thank you!
Gdonaldallen My replies to you are not showing up under my name. I’ve contacted Professor Turley and will follow up.
Poor Gigi, desperately trolling here but not getting any real bites. Have you tried having a life, Gigi? Other than trolling the comment section of the blog of a successful author and law professor?
Gigi is not commenting.
Donate at your risk. They often swap money around.
Trump’s PACs, not the RNC, have covered most legal expenses: The Save America PAC, which Trump controls, spent over $50 million in 2023 alone on legal fees related to his various criminal and civil cases.
Joint Fundraising Agreement: In 2024, Trump and the RNC entered a new fundraising arrangement—the Trump 47 Committee—where donations are prioritized to cover Trump’s campaign and legal expenses before going to the RNC or state parties.
Out of a maximum individual donation of $824,600, only 0.006% goes to Save America PAC, according to the Trump campaign.
This structure raised concerns among some RNC members, who unsuccessfully tried to block party funds from being used for Trump’s legal bills.
Legal and Financial Constraints: Federal campaign finance laws limit how much the RNC can spend on a candidate’s personal legal issues. Even if the RNC wanted to help, its cash on hand was only $8.7 million as of early 2024—far less than Trump’s mounting legal obligations.
So while the RNC hasn’t officially paid Trump’s legal fees, the joint fundraising setup effectively channels donor money toward his legal defense before supporting the party. If you’d like, I can break down how this compares to past presidential fundraising norms or explore the legal gray areas around PAC spending.
Trump’s legal expenses only exist because of his position on the Republican ticket. That’s the difference. If he had remained a private citizen none of his legal cases would have even happened.
So you admit. The DNC wanted to smear him because he was on the ticket.
Typical dem-o-rats,
Yet you all FAILED!
Not a Dem. Just pointing out the facts. Frankly, Trump’s legal bills should be sent to the DNC, since the party operatives openly admitted what I stated above. What an affront to our system of justice.
Why should that be surprising? Every candidate who runs is fair game. Getting smeared and labeled is going to happen and it’s done by both parties.
“Why should that be surprising? Every candidate who runs is fair game. Getting smeared and labeled is going to happen and it’s done by both parties.”
Smeared and labeled is not the same as having the judicial system actively weaponized against you. In just one case they tried to make Trump die in prison. In another they tried to bankrupt him, steal his property, and shut down his businesses. Dems crossed the Rubicon this time, and we’re going to all be the worse for it.
Excellent point!
You do have a point; however, I personally find it concerning. Then again, this is the first I’m hearing about the Republican donations spent this way. I’d like to reserve judgment until I learn if that was properly disclosed. Would you please enlighten me?
No thanks. No one cares.
William, your complaints should begin with the fact that Harris spent $1.5 billion and has absolutely nothing to show for it. That kind of money should have produced some tangible results. Instead, it vanished into the same swamp of talking points and photo ops.
If someone can burn through $1.5 billion without offering solutions, why should anyone believe they can handle bigger responsibilities? That is the real starting point of the conversation.
Start telling us what Harris had to offer.
“If you’d like . . .”
What I’d like is for the Left to stop committing the fallacy of deflection.
But I suspect that before that happens, pigs will fly.
So while the RNC hasn’t officially paid Trump’s legal fees…
SMH. I thought we were rid of you for good, and yet, here you are with your same Black Marxist talking points, same as the ones last year, and the year before and the year before.
I can break down how this compares to past presidential fundraising norms or explore the legal gray areas around PAC spending
Tell us when you do some good amongst black orphan kids in your Florida area where I recently vacationed and saw black kids on the sides of the highways alone, likely runaways, or when you start an initiative to educate black gays to use PrEP, since blacks lead the nation in new cases of HIV (~40%) even if blacks comprise only 12% of US population, when you take on black homophobia which keeps MSM blacks in the closet and hence drives their loneliness and unsafe sex practices which leads to increase of HIV rates, black misogyny which accounts for the disproportionate high numbers of black male violence against black women, etc, etc, etc.
You’re a tired angry miserable black man,
enigmainblackWilliam, who ignores the real issues that afflict blacks. Hint: Trump isn’t one of them.Pro-tip: blacks are
HIV/AIDS continues to disproportionately affect Black Americans, despite overall progress in reducing infection rates. While Black individuals make up approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for nearly 39 percent of new HIV diagnoses, making them seven to eight times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than white individuals.
https://blackdoctor.org/hiv-rates-are-dropping-but-not-for-everyone-heres-why/
“here you are with your same Black Marxist talking points, same as the ones last year, and the year before and the year before.”
Please point out the Black Marxist talking points in my reply. I only pointed out the hypocrisy in Turley’s post. Race wasn’t involved anywhere until you brought it up. I assume since you dismissed what I said as a talking point, you’re refusing to acknowledge what I said is true.
“Out of a maximum individual donation of $824,600, only 0.006% goes to Save America PAC, according to the Trump campaign.”
I would donate money for PACs to use to pay president Trump’s legal fees to defeat dimocrats lawfare
Everyone should know the deal that has been made. They agreed to pay off the debt, and she (wink wink) agreed not to run again in 2028, they are clearing the way for the dumb Newscum.
Policy positions vs. money? Which one is more decisive in winning elections? Dems learning the hard way.
Next misstep: gerrymandering as the way to win in 2026. Anything but competing on policy choices.
Could it be that DNC donations are down, somewhat precipitously, because DOGE (and Trump) have unmasked and stopped the scam of awarding taxpayer money to liberal and progressive NGOs and Green New Deal scams that in turn donated some of this money to the DNC?
Obviously that is one effect.
No
“No”
Well, who can argue with that logic? Such a command of the facts. Irrefutable.
And wrong, of course. All of these programs and NGOs just launder taxpayer money to the Democrat party.
No they don’t
“No they don’t”
It’s amazing, your profound demonstration of facts to support your assertion. Let me guess, you worked for USAID?
Kamala being placed at all was just an attempt to keep the cabal behind the scenes in power, she was just as much a puppet as Biden. What is more shocking to me is that anyone believed or still believes she was ever a legitimate candidate. I doubt she would’ve agreed to do it without assurances there was something in it for her, I guess this was perhaps part of it. I’m not at all surprised the Mafia, er, *DNC* is doing something ethically dubious, if not illegal. I’m sure there’s plenty more we don’t and may never know about.
With an American cabal like that, who needs Russia?
Lets face it, this is what dem-o-rats do well.
Spend baby and someone else gets the bill.
I worked for a non profit (ha ha) in the 70’s. I learned that if you are donating to any organization for a specific purpose you write on the check what the money is for. That way it supposedly restricts the money. However I am not dumb enough to believe that some organizations will fudge on that, therefore I do a lot of checking and very rarely donate to anything. Perhaps the donors should donate directly to the person they support thus bypassing the middle man.
Is this not the Standard Operating Procedure of the Democratic Party in this day and age. All parties at sometimes in the past have had their financial shenanigans but this party has been doing this since 1992, that we are aware of. Vast sums spent and little to nothing to show for it in their party and the national treasury. Should we think that this is why Democratic cities run through billions and yet the police go wanting and crime runs amok. Even the police depts fudge their numbers like in D.C. so they can say “but crime is down”. Is it?
I think if I was a democratic donor I would seriously think of sending my money elsewhere.
If streets are safe, then people get out and the they go shopping (instead of just ordering over the internet) restaurants get business, then you work on schools and workplaces. It is just so fundamental that if people are safe and feel safe, then your community works and has the chance to flourish. It is such a simple concept, apparently too simple for city democrats and the DNC.
It’s just SOP: a golden parachute for a failed CEO.
A billion dollars….
The monies paid for Oprah and Beyonce were nothing more than money laundering. It’s a criminal racket that should receive the scrutiny of the FBI and DOJ.
Money laundering? You do not know what ML is.
Correction: lining the pockets of fabulously wealthy supporters to help put on a campaign event. Would donors approve of this spending?
Still wrong. She overpaid that is a fact. But where did the money go after Oprah et al received it? In their bank accounts and stayed there. ML would be if Oprah et al funneled it further. She did not. Why would she?
And you do? Hmmm
Exactly, dark campaign monies circulated back into the Hollywood lib pockets.
Hear hear
So much for transparency.
Donors are shocked and upset that politicians are bad with money?????????
Shocked? No, only that they’re getting nothing for their donation since Harris lost.
” Democrats are still paying for Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump last year — literally.
The Democratic National Committee has paid more than $15 million toward Harris 2024 campaign expenses in the first six months of 2025.
Why it matters: The continued payments and lackluster fundraising left the DNC with $65 million less cash on hand than the Republican National Committee at the end of July.
The DNC had just $15 million and the RNC — helped along by Trump’s and Vice President Vance’s fundraising — had $80 million.
State of play: The financial woes have resulted in Democrats continuing to point fingers at each other nearly 10 months after last November’s election.
Some donors and senior Democrats are angry that Harris’ campaign spent an unprecedented $1.5 billion during her 15-week run and still lost all seven swing states.
Some donors have grown reluctant to give the DNC more money even as the party is trying to pivot to the 2026 midterms.”
– /townhall – August 26, 2025
Jake
Have you seen James Carvells latest podcast on Trump? It’s pathetic, they are losing their minds as they get exposed for the crimes they have committed. He actually stated President Trump is succumbed to a veneral disease. Waltz dog cussed Trump at an event and lamented about his swollen ankles, after losing a major State case in its entirety due to being unconstitutional. They are obviously tanking and no one is buying their BS any longer. Trump is Trump, love him or hate him; despite his abrasive demeanor, his cabinet has America back on the right path under his leadership. America for Americans! I can’t wait for the grand jury indictments on the Russia gate seditious conspiracy, they will disintegrate!
Nothing like a heap of smelly BS in the morning.
Bona petite’
Bon appétit There, fixed it. You’re welcome.
The DNC isn’t being honest and transparent with their donors. I can’t believe it. K Harris is the gift that keeps on giving; to the GOP.
I’m wondering who might be foolish enough to purchase a book with 107 blank pages?
Tim Waltz!
Just imagine what she would have “burned through” had she been elected.
1A and 2A?
Bravo!