‘It’s complicated’: FEC chairman claims Kamala Harris may face hurdles accessing Biden’s war chest

WASHINGTON, DC: Sean Cooksey, chairman of the Federal Election Commission, has suggested that it’s not going to be easy for Kamala Harris to access President Joe Biden's campaign funds after he backed out from the 2024 presidential run.

Minutes after announcing his exit from the 2024 presidential race on July 21, Sunday, Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee.

Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democratic presidential candidate

In a statement, Joe Biden said, “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.”

"Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” the 81-year-old politician added.

Though an official confirmation has yet to come, it is understood that the Vice President will likely run against Donald Trump in November.

Sean Cooksey hints toward possible hindrance in Kamala Harris’ presidential bid

According to Sean Cooksey, things will not be so easy for Kamala Harris even after getting Joe Biden's endorsement. Cooksey said using millions of dollars raised by Biden for his run may come with its set of challenges for Harris, NPR reported.

Sean Cooksey is one of three Republicans who serve along with three Democrats on the Federal Election Commission.

The Trump appointee said, “I think it's really complicated, is the short answer. I mean, we take a step back to consider the situation - this is really unprecedented in terms of modern political history, and certainly in terms of campaign finance law.”

“We have a presidential nominee or a presumptive nominee dropping out just weeks before his party convention. And he's - what he's attempting to do is to give his entire committee, the cash, and all the assets over to another person. I think it's going to have to go through a process through the FEC,” he stated.

Cooksey also noted that Harris may have to face challenges “at the agency and probably in the courts.”

When questioned about some people believing that Harris “has a legitimate claim to those funds", Cooksey responded saying, "Yeah, I think some lawyers have reached that conclusion."

“I think other election law experts have actually reached the opposite conclusion in publications like The Wall Street Journal. And so I think everyone would agree, though, that this is completely unprecedented, and it raises a lot of novel questions,” he added.

FEC commissioner claims Kamala Harris can use Joe Biden’s campaign money

However, Democratic Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum, who chaired the commission last year, pushed back on the suggestion that Kamala Harris would not be able to access those funds.

Lindenbaum told The Hill, “It’s quite clear, Vice President Harris can continue using the campaign committee and its funds.”

Steve Roberts, former general counsel to Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, stated, “Since the declarations of candidacy for 2024, the reasonable interpretation is that the Biden campaign committee is a shared one between Harris / Biden, and perhaps uniquely so because they are incumbents."

“Otherwise, in 2020, Trump-Pence wouldn’t have had a shared committee, but would have set up separate committees and had their own contribution limits,” Roberts added.