Lindsey Graham calls for investigation into Jaime Harrison’s fundraising
The senator does not trust the outpouring of financial support for Harrison
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham suggested funds for Jaime Harrison come from “shadowy figures” and wants a potential investigation.
During an interview with The Hill, Graham questioned the source of Harrison’s funding.
“Where’s all this money coming from ActBlue coming from? How easy would it be to just have a bunch of pre-paid credit cards?” he asked The Hill.
ActBlue is a nonprofit technology company founded in 2004. The platform provides online fundraising software to assist Democratic candidates, such as Harrison, and liberal groups gain financial contributions from small-dollar donors, The Hill reported.
Read More: Obama urges South Carolina voters to elect Jaime Harrison
“Some of these shadowy figures out there running ads, is there any foreign influence afoot?” Graham asked The Hill. “Where is all this money coming from? You don’t have to report it if it’s below $200.”
He added, “When this election is over with, I hope there will be a sitting down and finding out, ‘OK, how do we control this?’ It just seems to be an endless spiral.”
According to the report, the senator was referencing campaign finance rules however, an ActBlue spokesperson informed The Hill “the group reports even its smallest donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which oversees fundraising for federal campaigns.”
The Hill reported ActBlue was responsible for $1.5 billion in small-dollar contributions to Democratic candidates and allied groups in the third quarter of 2020. Harrison’s campaign was included in this surge of donations to Democratic candidates. According to The Hill Harrison raised $57 million in the third quarter compared to Graham’s $28 million in the same time frame.
The hopeful senator’s fundraising efforts were record breaking.
Read More: Viola Davis urges South Carolinians to vote in new Harrison ad
theGrio reported Harrison previously stated he was “getting killed financially” by his opponent when soliciting donations from his supporters. Harrison’s campaign revealed that the total was the largest-ever by any Senate candidate during a single three-month time frame. He beat out the $38 million raised by Democrat Beto O’Rourke in the final fundraising period in his 2018 race against Sen. Ted Cruz.
“While Lindsey Graham continues playing political games in Washington, Jaime Harrison is remaining laser-focused on the real issues impacting people here — like health care, broadband access, and Covid relief for businesses and families,” said Guy King, a spokesperson for Harrison’s campaign, according to theGrio.
Graham assumed office on January 7, 2003, in South Carolina. Harrison has served as a Democratic political advisor in the state and is the associate chair and senior counselor for the Democratic National Committee.
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