Scrutiny Mounts on Harris Campaign's Spending Strategy

A growing number of Democrats are asking tough questions of Kamala Harris' presidential campaign over how and where it spent $1.5 billion in 15 weeks on her failed presidential bid and reportedly ended up $20 million in debt, The Hill reported Tuesday.

The Harris campaign reported $118 million in the bank as of Oct. 16, less than three weeks before Election Day, but continued fundraising efforts even after her 312-226 loss to President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 5.

"The Harris campaign certainly spent more than they raised and is now busy trying to fundraise," Adrian Hemond, a Democrat strategist from Michigan, said Saturday.

However, Harris campaign Chief Financial Officer Patrick Stauffer said, "As of Election Day, there were no outstanding debts or bills overdue and there will be no debt on either the DNC [Democratic National Committee] or [Harris for President] report."

Lindy Li, a member of the DNC finance committee, told NewsNation last week that party leadership is "absolutely in turmoil."

"The way that the campaign was run and the way that the finances were handled — it left much to be desired," Li said, adding she's fielding calls from ex-DNC staffers who have resigned or been laid off who haven't been paid since August.

Li told NewsNation that she helped raise millions for Harris' campaign, much of which went to digital media, polling, advertising, and travel. A Federal Election Commission report showed the campaign spent $2.6 million on private travel for October alone.

Democrats also point to the millions spent on "production costs" for celebrity events with Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce, among many others. Further, Harris' election-eve rallies ran over budget to the tune of $10 million, The New York Times reported Sunday.

"When you lose an election and there's that much money there, there are definitely going to be arrows flung at you," Democrat strategist Rodell Mollineau told The Hill.

"As part of the autopsy of this campaign, an audit of all funding should be done so we understand what went right and what went wrong. When you lose, you question everything. But we shouldn't start with, 'Every dollar that was spent was stupid money.'"

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