Donald Trump calls for an investigation of Kamala Harris paying for celebrity endorsements

President Trump is calling for an investigation into the celebrity endorsements that former Vice President Kamala Harris received while she was running for president.

He accused Ms. Harris of paying for the endorsements with campaign cash, which is illegal.

“How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president? Why did he accept that money if he is such a fan of hers? Isn’t that a major and illegal campaign contribution? What about Beyonce?… And how much went to Oprah and Bono???” Mr. Trump wrote in all caps Monday on social media.

“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he said.

He said it was a “very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds.”

“IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”

While Ms. Harris’ campaign was particularly star-studded, Mr. Trump did see a few celebrities backing his campaign, including country rapper Kid Rock.

Some celebrities associated with Ms. Harris’ campaign denied they were paid for their endorsements.

Oprah Winfrey said she “was not paid a dime” and that the $1 million paid to her production company, Harpo, went only to those workers.

“However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story,” she said on social media.

In another Monday morning post, Mr. Trump claimed Beyonce was paid $11 million to “walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!”

USA Today reported last year that Beyonce’s production company was paid $165,000, citing Federal Election Commission data.

Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mother, said on social media that her daughter “did not receive a penny” for speaking at the rally.

Mr. Trump called the payments “an illegal election scam at the highest level” and said the celebrities “have a lot of explaining to do.”

The president has been on a war path with celebrities. On Friday, he said Taylor Swift was no longer “hot” and that he hated her.

He also railed against Mr. Springsteen, who blasted the Trump White House during a Wednesday concert in Manchester, England.

Mr. Springsteen, 75, told the Manchester crowd how much he loves America but that it’s in the “hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”

The president said he “never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics.”

“I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. … He’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country. If I wasn’t elected, it would have been GONE by now!” Mr. Trump wrote.