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.
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“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.
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“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