The campaign team of former President Donald Trump has filed a federal complaint accusing the Labour Party and Vice President Kamala Harris of election interference. The complaint, submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), alleges that the Labour Party made “illegal foreign campaign contributions and interfered in our elections.”
In a statement, the Trump campaign labeled Labour as a “far-Left” party that has allegedly inspired Kamala Harris’s “dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric.” Susie Wiles, Trump’s campaign manager, stated, “The flailing Harris-Walz campaign is seeking foreign influence to boost its radical message because they know they can’t win the American people.” She further claimed that Harris’s campaign’s acceptance of foreign assistance is a continuation of what she describes as “anti-American election interference.”
This complaint follows a recent trip organized by Labour Party staff, where nearly 100 activists traveled to the U.S. to campaign for Harris in key battleground states. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer defended the actions, noting that party members were in the U.S. voluntarily, a practice consistent with previous elections. He emphasized that these volunteers are acting in their personal capacity and are staying with other volunteers.
Speaking to reporters en route to a Commonwealth leaders’ meeting in Samoa, Starmer downplayed potential diplomatic tensions, asserting, “The Labour Party has volunteers, have gone over pretty much every election. They’re doing it in their spare time, they’re doing it as volunteers.” He also mentioned a positive past interaction with Trump, underscoring his commitment to working with whoever is elected as the next U.S. President.
The Labour activists plan to focus their efforts on Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, states crucial to Harris’s electoral strategy. The activists are reportedly self-funding their travel, as confirmed in a now-deleted LinkedIn post by Labour’s head of operations, Sofia Patel.
Republicans have criticized the Labour Party’s involvement, warning it could strain UK-US relations if Trump wins the presidency. Richard Grenell, former U.S. acting director of national intelligence, stated on British television, “We don’t want to have any foreign interference in our elections… so I think this is a pretty open and shut case: don’t interfere in the American elections and you won’t be sued.”
The FEC will review the complaint on a case-by-case basis, with potential outcomes ranging from a written warning to a fine. Historically, similar cases have resulted in fines, such as the $14,500 penalty imposed on Bernie Sanders’s campaign in 2018 for accepting an illegal contribution from the Australian Labor Party.
If the complaint proceeds, experts suggest any action is unlikely before the November 5 election. Gary Lawkowski, a Trump campaign lawyer, remarked that Labour’s alleged interference is evident from Patel’s LinkedIn post. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent Trump ally, reiterated that “foreign nationals are not allowed to be involved in any way in US elections.”
In response, a Labour official dismissed the controversy, telling Politico, “It says a lot about the current level of political discourse on both sides of the Atlantic that an innocuous LinkedIn post from a party staffer has turned into a diplomatic event.”