Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign is being accused of allowing donors to buy influence after a fundraiser indicated that a big donation could grab the presidential hopeful’s attention.
“If you want to get on the campaign’s radar now before he is flooded with donations after winning Iowa and New Hampshire, you can use the link below for donations,” H.K. Park, a Buttigieg fundraiser, said in an email to a donor obtained by Axios on Sunday.
The move was blasted by Brendan Fischer from the Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog, who called the email “an example of a campaign offering potential donors an opportunity to buy influence.” The Buttigieg campaign distanced itself from the email, saying it did “not see or authorize” the language of the message.
“It is ridiculous to interpret it as anything more than asking potential supporters who may be interested in Pete to join our campaign before caucusing and voting begins,” Buttigieg spokesman Sean Savett said.
The latest accusation comes after the mayor sparred with Sen. Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts in the last Democratic presidential debate about his soliciting donations from wealthy donors.
“The mayor just recently had a fundraiser that was held in a wine cave full of crystals and served $900-a-bottle wine,” Warren said before Buttigieg pointed out that she is a millionaire and he is not.
[Read more: Elizabeth Warren held fundraisers at upscale restaurant offering $6,600-a-bottle wine]
