Donald Trump’s campaign has submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against the UK’s Labour Party, alleging “blatant foreign interference” in the U.S. election to support the Harris-Walz campaign.
The complaint references media reports about interactions between Labour and the Harris campaign, as well as apparent volunteering efforts, claiming these constitute illegal “contributions.”
According to the BBC, Labour activists involved in the U.S. presidential election are acting in a personal capacity.
The Labour Party has not yet provided an official response.
Specifically, the complaint highlights reports that individuals associated with Labour have traveled to the U.S. to support Harris, suggesting a “reasonable inference” that the Labour Party has made, and the Harris campaign has accepted, illegal foreign national contributions.
The complaint cites Washington Post reports of communications between the two parties and private meetings involving senior officials.
It also mentions a now-deleted LinkedIn post by Labour’s head of operations, Sofia Patel, stating that nearly 100 current and former party members would be going to key battleground states in the U.S., offering to arrange housing for 10 participants.
The complaint draws parallels to a 2016 incident where the Australian Labor Party (ALP) sent delegates to assist Bernie Sanders’ campaign, which resulted in civil penalties for both the ALP and the campaign.
However, Labour officials maintain that the trips taken by their activists were neither organized nor funded by the party.
FEC regulations allow foreign nationals to volunteer for campaigns as long as they are not paid. It is common for party officials in the UK to communicate with their U.S. counterparts, a practice that has also occurred between the UK’s Conservative Party and U.S. Republicans.
The BBC has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for their comments.
