Former president Donald Trump’s campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the Washington Post, accusing the publication of making “illegal corporate in-kind contributions to Harris for President.”
The FEC complaint cites a Semafor report on how the Washington Post pays to boost stories “critical of Trump as subscribers flee,” a story that mentions how the Washington Post “aggressively ramped up its paid advertising campaign, boosting dozens of articles related to the election,” starting Monday, Oct. 28. The Post was boosting generally positive stories about Kamala Harris, the report says.
“The facts support a reasonable inference that The Washington Post made, and Harris for President accepted, an illegal corporate contribution in the form of coordinated communications,” the complaint states. “Therefore, the Commission should find reason to believe a violation has occurred, conduct an immediate investigation, and assess an appropriate sanction for this corporate interference in our elections.”
In a letter sent Oct. 31, Trump deputy general counsel Gary Lawkowski writes that “on the eve of the 2024 general election,” the Washington Post is reportedly “conducting a dark money corporate campaign in opposition to President Donald J. Trump — pretextually using its own online advertising efforts to promote Kamala Harris’s presidential candidacy.”
“There is reason to believe that the Washington Post violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and Federal Election Commission regulations by making illegal corporate in-kind contributions,” he wrote. “Therefore, we call upon the Commission to immediately investigate expenditures by The Washington Post.”
I smell an FEC complaint this is classic election interference Washington Post pays to boost stories critical of Trump as subscribers flee | Semafor https://t.co/UaV1yVB7Gv
— Chris LaCivita (@LaCivitaC) October 30, 2024
The Washington Post has drawn backlash from its readers and writers after it announced last week that it would not endorse a presidential candidate. Owner Jeff Bezos defended the announcement, saying that “presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election.”
The Federal Election Campaign Act makes it unlawful for corporations “to make a contribution or expenditure in connection with any election to any political office . . . or for any candidate, political committee, or other person knowingly to accept or receive any contribution,” the complaint notes.
“According to reports, the Post is using its advertising powers to promote pro-Kamala and anti-Trump coverage to voters in the final days of the election,” the Trump campaign said in a release. “While they declined to endorse her publicly, they have endorsed her in the dark; so much for ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness.’”
“The mainstream media has become nothing more than pro-Kamala propaganda,” the Trump campaign added. “The Democrat machine must be held accountable.”
The complaint notes that the Washington Post should not be able to “avail itself” of the FECA’s “press” or “media” exemption for its advertising. Lawkowski writes that by “boosting content to influence the election, The Washington Post is acting as like any other partisan player in the election process, not in its capacity as a press entity.”
It continues: “The Washington Post’s public advertising efforts in coordination with the Harris campaign is ‘core electioneering activity’ and thus not protected under the media exemption.”
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
