Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley filed a cease-and-desist letter on Tuesday against a political action committee that supports Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House bid.
In a letter addressed to “Haley Voters for Harris,” first reported by Fox News, the former U.N. Ambassador’s legal team urged the PAC to stop “any use of her name, image or likeness that implies” she supports Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
“Any use by you of Ambassador Haley’s name, image, or likeness is without her permission,” the letter reads. “Ambassador Haley has been clear in her support of Harris’ opponent. Any intimation that Ambassador Haley supports Harris is intentionally false and misleading.”
Haley reiterated her opposition to Harris’ candidacy in a statement first shared with Fox News Tuesday.
“Kamala Harris and I are total opposites on every issue. Any attempt to use my name to support her or her agenda is deceptive and wrong,” Haley said. “I support Donald Trump because he understands we need to make America strong, safe, and prosperous.”
In response, the PAC, previously called “Haley Voters for Biden” but changed its name following the president’s decision to drop out of the presidential race over the weekend, said their rights to engage with voters who oppose Donald Trump “will not be suppressed.”
“We enthusiastically supported Ambassador Haley over former President Trump in the primaries and our mission is to encourage likeminded voters to vote for Vice President Harris in November,” they said in a statement. “We do not claim to represent Ambassador Haley or her views.”
Haley, who previously ran against Trump and criticized him as unstable, endorsed the former president at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week following the attempt on his life at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. She called on GOP voters, who often disagree with Trump, to join her in voting for him.
Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee after securing the support of enough delegates ahead of the party convention in Chicago next month.
Biden endorsed Harris following his decision to exit the race and urged his campaign staffers to get behind her candidacy.
“Embrace her, she’s the best,” Biden said.
The president is set to hold his first Oval Office address since dropping out Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Harris, who officially hit the campaign trail Tuesday, tried to draw a contrast between herself and Trump by pointing to the different ways the two are running their campaigns.
“Donald Trump is relying on support from billionaires and big corporations,” she said, “and he is trading access in exchange for campaign contributions.”
