The congressional campaign committee run by White House Press Secretary Karli Leavitts has not paid over 100 debtors a total of $326,370.50. When Karoline’s congressional candidacy started in 2022, she was 23 years old. Despite winning the Republican primary, she lost to now-45-year-old Democrat Chris Pappas by eight points, making the campaign ultimately a failure.
Her campaign committee has yet to reach a settlement with the majority of her creditors, with the exception of a select few, such as her parents, three years after she failed her bid for a House seat.
Her campaign paid off five of its debtors, including two of her parents, who each received $2,900, in January of this year, when she started her new position as press secretary for the White House. According to a recent filing with the Federal Election Commission, over 100 creditors are still awaiting payment.
In the last three months (April, May, and June), Karoline Leavitt’s campaign failed to generate any funds to settle its debt of more than $320,000, according to Open Secrets, a Washington, DC-based non-profit that looks into campaign finance.
According to the Irish Star, Karoline for Congress is accused of owing $46,747 to the Republican political consulting business Axiom Strategies and $41,000 to the polling company Remington Research Group.
Leavitt, 27, is not directly responsible for repaying the debt, a source told Open Secrets. They added that her campaign is being audited by the Federal Election Commission.
The audit follows a complaint against Leavitt’s campaign committee by the Democratic advocacy group End Citizens United, which claimed that the committee had accepted excessive funds. The majority of the over $320,000 in outstanding debt, according to the Irish Star, came from contributions that went over the campaign finance law’s cap.
In this matter, the Federal Election Commission has not yet rendered a decision. The board is understaffed and requires the appointment of two more commissioners, which could be the cause of the delay. Donald Trump, Leavitt’s boss, has not yet announced a Senate nominee.
Even though Leavitt’s campaign owes a significant amount, it pales in contrast to other politicians whose campaigns failed. According to the Irish Star, it took Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign six years to settle its startling debt of about $25 million.
Even though Karoline was disappointed in 2022, she bounced back and became the youngest press secretary in White House ever. And it’s obvious that she loves every aspect of her work based on the way she conducts herself and defends all of Trump’s statements and policies.
Nicholas Riccio, 59, is married to 27-year-old Karoline. Together, they have a son.
