Billionaire's 'brazen' demand leaves Kamala Harris in 'terrible position': analyst

A billionaire who handed the Biden-Harris campaign $10 million and is pushing his friends to do the same has made a "brazen" demand of Kamala Harris, MSNBC reported.

And columnist Helaine Olen wrote it's put the “legalized corruption” of campaign financing on full display.

Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, told CNN that Lina Khan, appointed by Biden as head of the Federal Trade Commission, is “waging war on American business” and Harris should replace her if she becomes president.

Though Harris has not responded, and her opinions on Khan are not known, the fact that Hoffman can publicly make such requests while wielding such financial influence is shocking, Olen wrote.

It’s “the latest sign America’s billionaires need to be reminded that government policy shouldn’t be dictated by those with the largest checkbook,” she wrote.

Kahn has led Biden’s efforts to be “the most pro-worker and pro-consumer presidential administration in decades,” Olen wrote.

As a consequence, she’s popular — but not with big business.

“Khan’s pro-consumer, pro-worker, anti-monopoly agenda has attracted no small amount of hate from powerful and monied interests,” the columnist wrote.

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“Since Khan became FTC chair just over three years ago, the Wall Street Journal opinion page has printed more than 100 opinion pieces ranting about her record — an average of one screed every 11 days. Billionaires regularly take to CNBC to complain about her record; on Monday, media mogul Barry Diller referred to her as “a dope” and said that, if Harris wins, he would lobby her for Khan’s removal.”

Olen added that Harris has now been put in a difficult situation.

“This brazenness leaves Harris in a terrible position,” she wrote.

“While she should keep Khan on, if she wins and decides, for whatever reason, to replace the current FTC chair, it will look like she is doing the bidding of billionaires. Calls for Harris to return Hoffman’s money, on the other hand, don’t solve the underlying problem either. Not only would it be hard to know what to give back, but Hoffman's case raises contributions from many other donors.

“And the real issue is that the legalized corruption that is the U.S. campaign financing system is hardly a way to run an effective and democratic government. Until that changes, nothing else will.”