‘Epic Disaster,’ ‘Backstabbing’: Harris Campaign Official Says She Was ‘Misled’
A surrogate for Kamala Harris’ campaign against now-President-elect Donald Trump revealed on “Fox & Friends Weekend” that she felt “misled” by senior officials, describing the overall effort led by the vice president as an “epic disaster.”
Lindy Li, who stated she raised “millions” for Harris, shared with co-host Will Cain that campaign officials made misleading assurances and consistently claimed their internal data projected a decisive victory over Trump.
“This is just an epic disaster. This is a one-billion-dollar disaster,” Li remarked, referring to the Harris campaign’s massive $1 billion expenditure, which left them with millions of dollars in debt.
“It’s incredible, and I raised millions of that. I have friends that I have to be accountable to and to explain what happened because I told them it was a margin of error race,” she added.
Li said that Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon assured surrogates of the vice president’s inevitable success, even creating videos to solidify the narrative. “I believed her. My daughters believed her. And so, they wrote massive checks,” Li explained. “I feel like a lot of us were misled.”
She also highlighted how the tension between Biden and Harris began long before Harris replaced Biden on the 2024 ticket.
“It was a lot of backstabbing we saw in the press; people were leaking stuff all the time. The White House was leaking like a sieve when it came to Kamala Harris,” Li claimed.
“In her final years, she managed to stabilize and stop the bleeding of her staff because there was significant turnover as well. And we saw the press report about that. Things have finally started to calm down,” Li said, adding that Biden’s rapid endorsement of Harris appeared to be a reaction to his frustration with the Democratic establishment forcing him out.
“Kamala Harris wasn’t at the top of the ticket,” Li noted. “Biden’s endorsement of Harris caught a lot of people off guard. Even the chief Dems of the party.”
“I really think it was a big fu— a big ‘F you,’ I’m so sorry,” she said, catching herself mid-sentence during her conversation with Cain. Li also pointed out the ongoing tension between the Biden and Harris camps.
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Disputes have also emerged over the Harris campaign’s decision to allocate up to $20 million for swing-state concerts held just hours before her crushing loss to Donald Trump.
The New York Post reported that this spending raised concerns about whether campaign staff and vendors would be paid, as the campaign reportedly carried debt equal to the amount spent. Legal action could potentially follow if vendors remain unpaid.
Members of Harris’ team informed The Post that the concerts had a significant financial impact, and the risks were well-known. In fact, a scheduled performance by ’90s alt-rock artist Alanis Morissette was scrapped to save funds.
On election eve, seven concerts took place in swing states, featuring performances by Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit, Christina Aguilera in Las Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, and Lady Gaga in Philadelphia. In Atlanta, 2 Chainz joined Harris for an eighth concert just three days before the election.
Two sources claimed Stephanie Cutter, a seasoned Obama campaign strategist, spearheaded the concert strategy, aiming to drive turnout among voters with historically low participation rates.
Despite the performers volunteering their time, the events still demanded substantial financial and logistical resources.
David Plouffe, another Obama campaign veteran, reportedly supported Cutter’s approach, according to The Post.
“I’m sure vendors will start to get upset soon,” a source shared, noting that staff salaries appear unaffected so far, though reimbursements are still pending.