ALEX Cole-Hamilton has responded after being condemned for “taking leave” to campaign for Kamala Harris in the US election.
The Scottish LibDem leader has flown out to Pennsylvania for a week-long holiday to “knock doors” in the city of Scranton as the tight battle for the White House heats up.
But he has also been criticised for the trip, with Scots responding to a post from Cole-Hamilton (below) on Twitter/X slamming the MSP for “interfering” in another country’s election.
Taking a week’s leave to go knock doors for Kamala in Pennsylvania. 💪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ltyZn6J5It
— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶🇺🇦 (@agcolehamilton) October 21, 2024
Others, meanwhile, suggested he could be doing more at home instead.
One X user from Edinburgh said: “Mad you’ve never chapped my door and you are my MSP!”
Another X user, an American living in Scotland, said an MSP travelling to campaign in the US was “bonkers”.
It comes as Donald Trump’s campaign claimed the Labour Party was interfering in the US election following reports of senior Labour officials meeting with Kamala Harris’ campaign, and Labour Party staffers also volunteering on the ground for her campaign.
Defending his decision to make the trip, which he is paying for himself, Cole-Hamilton told The Daily Record: “It’s not my first rodeo. I was there in 2008 helping Obama. I am not breaking any rules. I am using some of my free time during Holyrood recess. I am going to indulge my favourite hobby, which is going out and speaking to people about what matters to them."
He added that the “stakes are really high” and highlighted Trump’s rhetoric around the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Donald Trump is clearly a friend of [Vladimir] Putin and will not have the backbone or resolve to supply the fighting men and women with the material they need to win the war,” Cole-Hamilton said.
“And if that happens, what does that mean for Nato? This is a global crossroads. It feels like the least I can do.”
