Prominent Democratic National Committee National Finance Committee member Lindy Li recently criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’s management of campaign spending during a recent donor call. Li expressed frustration over what she perceived as a lack of accountability for the significant funds expended during Harris’s presidential campaign, describing the tone of the discussion as “self-congratulatory.”
Harris formally launched her presidential bid on July 21. However, reports indicate that her campaign and affiliated Democratic groups collectively spent nearly $1.5 billion only to be crushed by Donald Trump on Election Day. Speaking on NewsNation Now, Li shared her dismay at the absence of introspection, emphasizing the need for accountability after the loss of seven pivotal battlegrounds.
“She actually held two calls—one for her top donors and another for grassroots supporters,” Li explained. “I was in contact with fellow attendees, and we were amazed at how self-congratulatory the tone was. No one seemed to take responsibility for the fact that nearly $2 billion was spent across the campaign and super PAC, with devastating results.”
Li also recounted moments from the call that she found particularly jarring, including Harris discussing her Thanksgiving recipe. This casual tone, amidst widespread disappointment and the abrupt firing of approximately two-thirds of DNC staff, puzzled attendees. “Frankly, I’m stunned there was no post-mortem or analysis of how we can improve. It was really just patting each other on the back and saying, ‘We’ll see you for Christmas,’” Li added.
The financial repercussions of Harris’s campaign have reportedly alarmed many within Democratic circles. Insiders have raised concerns about the potential for millions of dollars in debt, a situation that has already resulted in mass layoffs at the DNC. Harris’s campaign chief financial officer, Patrick Stauffer, has pushed back against these claims, stating, “As of Election Day, there were no outstanding debts or bills overdue.”
Despite this defense, prominent Democratic donor John Morgan publicly criticized Harris’s campaign spending, arguing it should disqualify her from future political endeavors. “A lot of people got rich on the back of donors trying to stop Trump,” Morgan remarked, according to The Daily Caller. “If you can’t run a campaign, you can’t run America.”
Harris, for her part, has no handled losing particularly well. earlier in the month she pretended to protest elections in order to send out fundraising emails after the election was already over and on Tuesday night the Democratic Party released a video in which she appeared inebriated.
She looks, and sounds, smashed. And you know it. https://t.co/aOiDohK9G0
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) November 27, 2024
The DNC has not commented on its current problems, leaving significant questions about the party’s financial stability and strategic planning unanswered.
