A member of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) finance team called the Harris campaign “self-congratulatory,” during a call with top donors Tuesday, making no mention of what the party could have done better.
Lindy Li told NewsNation’s Connell McShane that she was “stunned that there was no sort of postmortem or analysis of the disastrous campaign.”
“It was just patting each other on the back,” Li said. “They praised Harris as a visionary leader, and at one moment during the call, she was talking about her Thanksgiving recipe.”
The Harris campaign appears to have imploded following her Election Day loss to President-elect Trump, and the internal strife has led some staffers to leave altogether.
The campaign is now $20 million in debt, per a source familiar with the campaign.
Li, on behalf of confused voters and disappointed donors, has been speaking out about the party’s financial woes and frustrations.
She called party leaders “detached from reality” after they discussed how more than $1 billion was spent during the nearly 110-day campaign during an interview with “Pod Save America” Tuesday.
“They failed to mention that hundreds of millions of dollars went to them and their friends right through these consulting firms,” Li said. “These consultants were the primary beneficiaries of the Harris campaign, not the American people.”
She added that many in the inner workings of the party share similar frustrations in the aftermath of the election.
The Harris campaign can still raise money to recoup some of these debts and pay those who still need it.
According to the Federal Election Commission, some House and Senate campaigns end with outstanding debts, such as those owed to campaign vendors.
Roll Call, in March 2023, reported that 18 members of the House and Senate started the year with campaign committees with at least $100,000 in unpaid bills.
“If they [the DNC] don’t have an explanation as to what happened with the billions of dollars and why hundreds of millions went to consultants, ice cream, private jets, celebrities, I don’t think donors are going to be willing to give again,” Li said.
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