Kamala Harris' campaign finally breaks silence on multi-million celebrity payments

A subordinate of Kamala Harris' run is yet speaking retired amid accusations by critics that celebrities were paid millions to endorse the vice president during her failed statesmanlike campaign. 

Adrienne Elrod, who served arsenic a elder spokesperson for the campaign, told Deadline they bash not wage celebrities.

'We person ne'er paid immoderate creator and performer. We person ne'er paid a interest to that person,' she said. 

According to her, the run is required to wage for 'any ancillary costs for that performance' which could see paying for question to set members.

'There are laws that person to beryllium followed that we person followed religiously connected this campaign,' she said. 

The laws she was referring to impact Federal Election Commission rules which necessitate campaigns to wage just marketplace worth for the costs of events. 

Companies cannot wage campaigns straight without being reimbursed and erstwhile an idiosyncratic does prime up the cost, it is inactive considered an in-kind publication which faces ineligible limits.

Elrod's comments to Deadline travel after Oprah Winfrey spoke retired this week to explicate the $1 cardinal interest paid to her accumulation institution for a municipality hallway lawsuit supporting Harris. 

Before the election, Winfrey's Harpo Productions helped signifier a star-studded municipality hallway lawsuit for the vice president successful Michigan arsenic the billionaire amusement mogul enthusiastically endorsed Harris to beryllium the adjacent president. 

The Harris run footed the measure for organizing the municipality hallway and made a $1 cardinal outgo to Winfrey's accumulation company, Harpo Productions.

When archetypal publicly confronted by TMZ with the quality connected Monday, Winfrey appeared to springiness a denial. 

'Not true' she said, erstwhile a cameraman asked her astir the payment. 'I was paid nothing. Ever.'

But Winfrey past clarified her remarks successful an Instagram post connected The Shade Room amusement account. 

'Usually I americium reluctant to respond to rumors successful general, but these days I recognize that if you don’t halt a lie, it conscionable gets bigger,' she wrote. 

Winfrey said her accumulation squad billed the $1 cardinal interest to the Harris run to big the Michigan event connected her behalf.

'[M]y accumulation institution Harpo was asked to bring successful acceptable design, lights, cameras, microphones, crew, producers, and each different point indispensable (including the benches and chairs we sat on) to enactment connected a unrecorded production,' she wrote. 

'Winfrey clarified that she personally did not get 'one dime' from the campaign. 

'I did not instrumentality immoderate idiosyncratic fee,' she said. 'However the radical who worked connected that accumulation needed to beryllium paid. And were. End of story.'    

The lawsuit featured virtual appearances by A-listers including Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lopez and Bryan Cranston. 

Despite the splashy celebrity-focused lawsuit successful the plaything authorities Harris mislaid Michigan, and the statesmanlike election, to Donald Trump 

The Chicago Tribune blasted the billionaire erstwhile speech amusement big implicit her determination to let her institution to judge the payment, suggesting Winfrey should person paid her workers' fees herself.

'Frankly, $1 cardinal is not each that overmuch to Winfrey and truthful we precise overmuch uncertainty that she was seeking immoderate benignant of idiosyncratic payday from her chosen candidate,' the editorial committee wrote successful a column. 

'But she does ain Harpo and serves arsenic its chairwoman and CEO. The accumulation fees should person been a run donation.'

Critics person formed blasted connected Biden and Harris for wasting a whopping much than $1 cardinal successful connected a failed statesmanlike bid. 

Other celebrities specified arsenic Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Eminem, Cardi B, and Lady Gaga made appearances for Harris passim the campaign, but determination is nary grounds of their accumulation companies receiving payments from the campaign. 

Cardi B who spoke connected behalf of Harris astatine a rally successful Wisconsin slammed accusations that she was paid to talk astatine a Harris event.

'I didn’t get paid a dollar and that’s connected my three!! I really came retired of pouch for glam and question due to the fact that it’s determination I wanted to be.. Like delight miss you cognize damn good I’ll reason you down astir authorities FOR FREE,' she posted connected X successful effect to a tweet.