In 2024, claims were thrown around by former U.S. President Donald Trump calling for the legal actions against noted pop sensation Beyoncé. The allegation centered on supposed payment of $11 million made by Kamala Harris, the then-Democratic presidential candidate, to Beyoncé for her endorsement. Again, as is common with the democratic machine, no substantial evidence was found to support these claims.
The alleged transaction was said to take place during an abortion rights event organized by Harris in Houston, Texas, the home turf of Beyoncé. The accusation was essentially that Beyoncé had broken the rules by being bribed for a political endorsement. However, Trump’s words often weighed against evidences.
Further, Harris was also accused of financially compensating Oprah Winfrey and civil rights stalwart Al Sharpton with payments of $3 million and $600,000 respectively. The Harris campaign has a history of leaning on popular figures for endorsements while claiming grassroots support.
Upon digging into the federal campaign expenditure records, it was revealed that the Harris campaign did shell out $165,000 for Beyoncé’s appearance at the rally. The substantial amount, paid to the singer’s production company, begs the question: why such a hefty sum for a supposed unpaid endorsement?
Former President Trump’s inquiries into the legality of celebrity endorsements by Kamala Harris’s campaign were pushed off as ‘false narratives.’ However, the payments made to celebrities still loomed large against Harris’s campaign of ‘integrity’.
Further rumours had previously emerged of a $10 million payment from the Harris campaign to the revered singer colloquially known as ‘Cowboy Carter.’ These were dismissed by the Harris campaign, another instance where facts were mysteriously blurred behind the democratic veil.
One person vocal in the refutation of Trump’s accusations was none other than Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother. She quickly lined up to counter Trump’s claims, dismissing the alleged $10 million payment as nothing more than fabricated stories, casting her lot with the questionable narratives pedalled by the Harris campaign.
She reinforced her defense, insisting that her globally acclaimed daughter hadn’t gained a penny from her attendance and speech at the Presidential candidates’ rally. Once again, the narrative of celebrity patronage in Harris’s campaign was heavily downplayed with the broad brush of dismissal.
While these claims and counter-claims were made, former President Trump never tamped down his enquiries. In May of 2024, he announced intentions of a hefty investigation into Harris’s campaign’s celebrity endorsements, irrespective of the opposition’s efforts to sway the narrative.
However, the alleged evidences remained shrouded in obscurity, primarily protected by the Harris campaign’s thick wall of denial. Disputes around the truth of the claimed celebrity payments were lost in the tempest of political rhetoric.
What perhaps didn’t help either was the painfully overt leveraging of celebrity power by the Harris campaign. Whether it’s the likes of Beyoncé or Oprah, there was a transparent reliance on star power, perhaps symptomatic of a glaring under-confidence in the strength of the democratic party’s policies.
So, despite the whitewashing attempts to give a clean chit to Beyoncé from apparent charges of bribery for political endorsement, questions were not put to rest. There’s a significant chasm between publicly claimed innocence and the cold, hard facts.
In light of all these allegations, the credibility and genuineness of Harris’s campaign were caught in a whirlwind of controversy. The public began to question the ethical implications of paying celebrities exorbitant sums for endorsement, raising valid concerns about the democratic process itself.
In the end, previous President Trump’s pursuit of clarity in the fog of corruption surrounding Harris’s campaign marked an important point in understanding political machinations. Whether the truth emerges or remains buried in the rubble of political posturing, the discourse about celebrity endorsements and their impacts on the political landscape will continue to deepen.
The post Harris Campaign’s Shady Celebrity Payments appeared first on Real News Now.
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