DNC Criticized Over “Private Agreement” To Continue To Pay Harris’s Debts After The Election

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

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 slow.

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.