Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump blasted Vice President Kamala Harris over allegedly orchestrating a “highly illegal” campaign scheme that reportedly involved parents and teachers in the swing state of North Carolina.
On Instagram, Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump, warned parents that left-leaning teachers in Gaston, N.C., are allegedly emailing students to encourage them to volunteer for the Harris campaign. She shared a screenshot of an email from Reed Breunig, a Regional Organizer for the Harris campaign, who offered teachers an “exciting opportunity” for their students to get involved in a “local political campaign.” Breunig, responsible for coordinating voter outreach with Democratic candidates, emphasized his role in supporting the Harris campaign’s efforts.
“The North Carolina Democratic Party is looking for high school students interested in getting involved with the campaign and learning a bit more about local, state and national politics,” he writes. The offer includes a “fellowship” that requires “roughly 5-10 hours a week” where students would work alongside Democratic operatives on “talking with voters, helping to run the office, and the day-to-day business of the campaign.” The opportunity doesn’t include a paycheck, but he offered to “sign off for volunteer hours and school credit.”
BREAKING!? North Carolina: @LaraLeaTrump reports that the Harris campaign was found to be engaged in “HIGHLY ILLEGAL” campaign activities involving teachers and students.
The Gaston County School Board has reportedly shut this down and is currently investigating the matter. pic.twitter.com/7CCHrMrrPX
— True the Vote (@TrueTheVote) September 6, 2024
According to the North Carolina state Office of Human Resources, public employees are barred from “engaging in political activity (including without limitation taking an active part in managing a campaign) while on duty or during work hours, and the statute prohibits covered employees from using state resources or the authority of a state position to secure support for (or oppose) any political candidates.” If Breunig’s emails were sent to teachers’ official work accounts, it likely constitutes use of official resources if those teachers passed along the opportunity to their students. “The Gaston County School Board has reportedly shut this down and is currently investigating the matter,” Lara Trump wrote in her post.
Recent state polls reveal a tight contest between Trump and Harris in North Carolina. According to FiveThirtyEight’s aggregated data, Trump leads Harris by a narrow margin of 46.5% to 46%. Most polls conducted between August and September show Trump with a slim lead ranging from 1% to 3%.
Following directives from the Trump campaign, the RNC has concentrated heavily on election integrity efforts as the November 5th election approaches. The campaign has deployed numerous lawyers to key battleground states to address allegations of voter fraud. Additionally, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has advocated for legislation that would mandate nationwide proof of identification at polling places. Since leaving office, President Trump has maintained that the 2020 election was stolen, criticizing election workers in Arizona and Georgia for allegedly failing to count ballots that he claimed would have secured victories in both states. All legal challenges by the Trump campaign to overturn the results were ultimately dismissed, however.
