Cornel West, an independent presidential candidate, reportedly received a financial contribution from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow for his contentious White House bid. 

A report from the Federal Election Commission shows that Crow gave West $3,300 on Aug. 7. According to the Hill, West received the maximum donation before he switched parties. The notable civil rights activist and academic was previously identified as a Green Party candidate.

His run for office has caused fear for Democrats and raised questions about whether his third-party campaign will snatch votes away from President Joe Biden in 2024. West took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to address the donation pushback on Thursday afternoon. 

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“As an independent candidate and a free Black man, I accept donations within the limits of no PACs or corporate interest groups that have strings attached,” West wrote. “I am unbought and unbossed. Despite my deep political differences with brother Harlan Crow (who is an anti-Trump Republican), I’ve known him in a non-political setting for some years and I pray for his precious family.”

People on social media called out the language he used to describe Crow: “My brother Harlan Crow is not a sentence that should be uttered by anyone on the left,” one person wrote.

“Honestly. The fact that you were bought for 3,300 dollars is so f–king embarrassing. Like you need [to] reevaluate your sellout price,” another person chimed in. “At least Clarence didn’t come cheap. Clarence racked up a f–king bill.”

Crow, a billionaire real estate developer who reportedly considers West a “good friend,” per the Wall Street Journal, has been a mainstay in news headlines due to his controversial association with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — whose ethics have been questioned in recent months. It has been reported that Crow purchased Thomas’ mother’s Savannah, Georgia, home and allowed her to continue to live there rent-free, has given him lavish gifts and trips, and even paid tuition for one of Thomas’ relatives. 

During an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” in August, before he switched party affiliation, West defended his position amid growing concerns.

“The vast number of voters who would vote for the Green Party and myself either would not vote at all, or would never, ever, ever vote for Biden or Trump,” he said. “There’s this narrative, I think it’s a false narrative, thinking somehow they’re choosing between Biden and myself. No, not really, they’ve given up on Biden.” 

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