FEC chair suggests Harris may struggle to access Biden war chest

Federal Election Commission Chairman Sean Cooksey, a Trump appointee, suggested on Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris might face challenges accessing President Joe Biden's campaign war chest.

“I think it’s really complicated, is the short answer,” Cooksey told NPR. "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."

“What he’s attempting to do is to give his entire committee, the cash and all the assets, over to another person," he went on.

“I think it’s gonna have to go through a process, through the FEC,” he added. “I expect, there’s probably going to be challenges to that at the agency, and probably in the courts as well.”

Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in a letter on Sunday and endorsed Harris as his successor. Less than 24 hours after the endorsement, Harris' presidential campaign brought in almost $50 million.

The president's campaign had nearly $96 million in cash on hand by June 30, per the latest FEC report. The campaign filed paperwork within hours of Biden's announcement to change its name from “Biden for President” to “Harris for President.”

Harris was listed as a candidate with Biden on the FEC paperwork before the filing of the name change.

Democratic Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum, who was FEC chairwoman last year, claimed Harris wouldn't have issues using the campaign funds.

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