FACT CHECK: No, These Government Agencies Didn’t Donate To Kamala Harris
A post shared on X claims that government agencies such as the Department of Defense donated to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
WOW 🚨 Big Money From US Government Is Behind Kamala Harris
Big Campaign Donations From 4 Federal Government Entities:
– US Department of Defense donated $213,000
-US Department of Health and Human Services donated $263,000
– US Department of State donated a $199,000
– US… pic.twitter.com/wmWkh358Eh— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 26, 2024
Verdict: False
Individuals who work for these entities donated to Harris. The government itself has not donated to Harris.
Fact Check:
Social media users are claiming that federal agencies have given money directly to Harris. (RELATED: Image Claims To Show Website For Hiring Professional Protesters)
“WOW 🚨 Big Money From US Government Is Behind Kamala Harris Big Campaign Donations From 4 Federal Government Entities:- US Department of Defense donated $213,000-US Department of Health and Human Services donated $263,000- US Department of State donated a $199,000- US Department of Veteran Affairs donated $217,000 to Kamala Harris’ campaign “I don’t understand how that is not a conflict of interest,” one user wrote.
These claims are false. The money being donated comes from individuals, not the agencies themselves, according to OpenSecrets.
“No — government entities have never contributed to a political campaign. They cannot do so. As is stated on the pages where that information is pulled, 100% of that money comes from people who work for those government agencies,” Sarah Bryner, director of research and strategy at OpenSecrets, told Check Your Fact in an email.
The website states, “The organization itself did not donate, rather the money came from the organization’s individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals’ immediate family members. Organizations themselves cannot contribute to candidates and party committees.”
The Hatch Act also limits federal employees’ political activities, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The Hatch Act’s “purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation.”
A FEC spokesperson said that they “can’t speak to rules governing other federal agencies and departments” and directed Check Your Fact to a FEC page titled “Who can and who can’t contribute.” Included among those who can’t contribute are “federal government contractors.”
