Quick Hit:

The Trump campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (F.E.C.) against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging campaign finance violations. The complaint centers on the transfer of funds from Biden's campaign to Harris's, following Biden's announcement that he will not seek re-election.

Key Details:

• The complaint was filed by Trump campaign general counsel David Warrington, who described the transfer of funds as a "brazen money grab" and the largest violation in the history of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

• Biden's campaign amended its committee name to "Harris for President" after he declared he would not run for a second term, prompting the complaint from the Trump campaign.

• Legal experts are divided on the legitimacy of the complaint, and the F.E.C. has not yet commented on the matter.

Diving Deeper:

According to a report from the New York Times, former President Donald Trump’s campaign has lodged a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (F.E.C.) against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The Trump campaign accuses Biden and Harris of breaching campaign finance laws by transferring Biden's campaign funds to Harris.

The complaint, filed by Trump campaign general counsel David Warrington, followed Biden's team renaming its committee to “Harris for President” after Biden announced he would not seek a second term. Warrington's complaint claims that this transfer amounts to a $91.5 million violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

“Kamala Harris is seeking to perpetrate a $91.5 million dollar heist of Joe Biden’s leftover campaign cash — a brazen money grab that would constitute the single largest excessive contribution and biggest violation in the history of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended,” Warrington stated in the complaint.

Warrington accused President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their campaign treasurer of flagrantly violating the Act by transferring funds intended for Biden's campaign to Harris's. He also accused them of filing fraudulent forms with the F.E.C. to repurpose the funds.

However, not all campaign finance experts agree with Warrington's interpretation. Some believe the Harris campaign is within legal bounds. The F.E.C. has not yet made a decision on the matter, and it remains unclear if the complaint will be resolved before Election Day.

Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, dismissed the complaint as a distraction and pointed to the significant fundraising achieved by Harris's expanded team since Biden's endorsement.

“Republicans may be jealous that Democrats are energized to defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, but baseless legal claims — like the ones they’ve made for years to try to suppress votes and steal elections — will only distract them while we sign up volunteers, talk to voters and win this election,” Lutvak told the New York Times.

The Trump campaign's complaint also contends that Harris is not yet the official nominee, a status that will only be formalized at the Democratic National Convention next month. Additionally, they argue that since Biden has announced he will not run in the general election, he should not retain the general-election contributions he has received.

“To date, Biden for President has provided no indication that it will return or redesignate all of its general election contributions,” Warrington wrote. “Thus, each and every general election contribution received by Biden for President is an excessive contribution.”

Warrington further accused the campaign’s treasurer and Harris of attempted fraud by renaming and repurposing the campaign committee. He called for the F.E.C. to address the issue swiftly, warning that Harris is committing the largest campaign finance violation in U.S. history using the Commission’s forms.