Alex Cole-Hamilton defends campaigning for Democrats in US Presidential election
by Andrew Quinn, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/authors/andrew-quinn/ · Daily RecordGet the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp
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The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has defended going to the USA to campaign for the Democrats.
Alex Cole-Hamilton is currently knocking doors in Pennsylvania - a story broken by the Record - in a bid to make Kamala Harris president. He is staying with his sister in upstate New York during the trip and paid for his own flights.
It follows Donald Trump's campaign filing a complaint against Labour “interference” after people linked to the party volunteered for the Democrats. Cole-Hamilton said it would be "wrong" for a political party to pay for people to campaign in a foreign country but he said he wasn't "entirely sure that's what's happening".
He said people from other countries jet in to volunteer in election campaigns "in every free democracy in the world." He added that he knows Tories who have campaigned for the Republicans.
When asked if the Scottish Lib Dems were paying for any of his trip, Cole-Hamilton told BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "No, not at all. And it wouldn't be proper for them to do so. I paid for the flights, my sister has paid... well she is my accommodation and I'm just volunteering in the same way that I did in 2008 in Virginia for Obama when I went over then.
"This is something I've entirely taken on during the recess of the Scottish Parliament. I've taken a week's leave. I'm literally just coming out to knock doors." He added: "It's no biggie. All I've asked them to do is point me in the right direction for the doors I need to knock."
Cole-Hamilton dismissed Trump's claims: "They're saying this is outside interference. Nothing is further from the truth. In every free democracy in the world, people come from far and wide to campaign for elections. It happens in our elections. An Irish senator who's a friend of mine comes over. We're very grateful that he comes over every time I'm up for re-election and knocks doors for me."
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He added: "It would be wrong for a political party to pay actively to send people over and to pay them a salary to be there. I'm not entirely sure that's what's happening. There's one thing to facilitate... if you have connections I don't see a problem with making introductions.
"This is democracy. I'm sure that Conservatives in the past have gone over to help the Republicans, I know for a fact they have. It happens in each direction."
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