Kanye West‘s presidential campaign has reportedly paid over $40,000 (£32,432) to former campaign manager Milo Yiannopoulos.
TMZ had reportedly obtained FEC filings – financial reports candidates running for federal offices such as the presidency are required to register – which reveal West’s expenses for his 2024 bid for the White House [via HotNewHipHop]. According to the filings, West paid $40,000 to Yiannopoulos for ‘campaign wrap up services’, while the alt-right commentator allegedly received just under $10,000 for ‘domain transfer’ (£8,107).
Yiannopoulos has also claimed that West owed him $116,000 (£94,036) for consultation services. According to HotNewHipHop, however, sources close to West have denied this, arguing that they never put this arrangement into writing.
West confirmed back in November that Yiannopoulos was working on his presidential campaign, referred to as #YE2024. Just a couple of weeks later, however, Yiannopoulos stepped away from the campaign. “Ye and I have come to the mutual conclusion that I should step away from his political team. Ye is a genius whom I have come to love and respect. We remain friends. I will continue to pray for Ye and all his endeavors,” he wrote on Telegram.
He denied that he had been fired, insisting that his departure from the campaign was a mutual decision. It has been suggested, however, that this came as a result of West’s relationship with Nick Fuentes, a political commentator with white nationalist leanings.
The FEC also revealed that Fuentes had been paid $14,719 (£11,930) to recoup his travel expenses.
Elsewhere, West is currently being investigated for alleged assault after video footage reportedly showed him involved an altercation with a woman who was filming him. West allegedly knocked her phone out of her hand after she protested when he ordered her to put her phone down.
