Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang on Sunday defended the legality of his campaign contest to give 10 families a share of $120,000 as a way to promote his “freedom dividend” proposal.
“We have a team of lawyers who signed off on it. We’re sure it’s perfectly legal,” Yang said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
{mosads}The entrepreneur added that “nobody would blink an eye” if he were to give $1 million to consultants or a “small army of canvassers,” but for some reason are uncomfortable with giving the money “directly to people.”
Yang announced his contest during last Thursday’s Democratic debate. He used his opening statement to urge Americans to head to his campaign website to enter the contest in which 10 families will win the $1,000 a month prize.
Fellow 2020 White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., appeared to stifle a laugh in response during the debate.
The contest mimics Yang’s central campaign proposal, a $1,000 “freedom dividend.”
The campaign has started giving out some freedom dividends to supporters across the country.
Yang said on Sunday that those who have received the monthly dividends told him they’ve used the money to start playing guitar again, go back to school and launch other personal improvement projects.