Rev. Al Sharpton owes a lot of people a lot of money — but he’s not paying.
17 years after losing the 2004 Democratic presidential primary, Sharpton’s campaign still has outstanding debts of nearly $1 million — including over $200,000 in unpaid fines for illegal contributions.
“Sharpton, his presidential campaign committee, Sharpton 2004, and Andrew Rivera, in his official capacity as treasurer, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $208,000 for failing to report accurately all receipts and expenditures, receiving excessive and prohibited in-kind contributions, and accepting impermissible corporate contributions,” an FEC filing in 2004 reported after Sharpton’s presidential campaign reached a settlement agreement.
According to Fox News, that settlement agreement over Sharpton accepting prohibited contributions — as well as $181,000 in reimbursements and various other large debts — remains unpaid.
The campaign’s own quarterly report showed that Sharpton’s presidential campaign still owed over $888,000.
The FEC says that number is actually over $925,000.
Sharpton currently works at a lucrative position at the cable news giant MSNBC. In addition to his television contract, Sharpton also commands a huge salary at his National Action Network nonprofit. In 2019, for example, he was paid over $1,000,000 in compensation.
He said last year that he was still working on repaying the 2004 debt.
“I have asked Andrew Rivera, the finance chair of my 2004 campaign, to set up a meeting with the Federal Election Commission so that I can resolve any campaign debts related to Sharpton 2004,” he claimed in a 2020 interview.
“I am willing to work out a settlement for all claims with my own money to the degree that I’m allowed and will raise money directly,” he told The New York Post. “Even if I am not legally liable for it, I am certainly morally responsible.”
The Horn editorial team