WASHINGTON _ Allies of Joe Biden launched their super PAC supporting his presidential candidacy on Wednesday, arguing that it's needed to help him fight attacks from President Donald Trump as his campaign focuses on the Democratic primaries.
In a news release announcing its formal launch, Unite the Country says Biden has the best chance to beat Trump, and the group will focus its efforts on getting that message across to voters. It plans to push back against attacks on the Democratic primary front-runner by Trump and his allies.
"We will not sit idly by while Trump spreads lies about a man who has served this country with honor and dignity," said Steve Schale, the group's strategist.
Biden's campaign has struggled to raise money, spending $2 million more in the third quarter than the $15.7 million it raised, and had just $9 million in the bank at the end of September. Biden had previously disavowed efforts to create a super PAC, groups that are generally funded by a handful of deep-pocketed donors who can give without restrictions. The major Democratic candidates, including Biden, have sworn off money from lobbyists and corporate PACs.
The Biden campaign declined to comment Wednesday.
The super PAC, which filed its statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday, is led by former aides to Biden.
The former vice president and some of his allies have argued that the group is necessary because he is facing what they see as unprecedented attacks from Trump, the Republican National Committee and conservative groups. They argue that, unlike his Democratic opponents, he's simultaneously fighting the primary and the general election and needs the help of an outside group and the large sums of money it can raise.
The creation of the super PAC brought immediate criticism for other campaigns. "Team @JoeBiden has officially launched its effort to buy the Democratic primary election," David Sirota, a speechwriter for Bernie Sanders, tweeted Tuesday. Sanders is relying on small-dollar donors to fund his campaign, unlike Biden, who raises money at events attended by contributors who can write bigger checks.
Super PACs can accept contributions in unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations and labor unions, but can't coordinate their activities with candidates.
Trump's campaign, the RNC and his allies have spent $10 million attacking Biden, the group said. That includes $8 million Trump has spent on ads making unsubstantiated charges that Biden blocked a Ukrainian prosecutor from investigating a natural gas company whose board included Biden's son, Hunter Biden.
Unite the Country says that part of its mission is to "compare and contrast" what it calls Trump's failures with Biden's accomplishments. Yet it hasn't explicitly ruled out attacking other Democratic presidential hopefuls, which Biden's campaign manager has signaled his campaign doesn't want to do.
"We are here to talk about Joe Biden, and defend him from the unprecedented attacks from Trump, not to attack other Democrats," said Amanda Loveday, Unite the Country's spokeswoman. "We have a great field of Democrats, we just happen think that Joe Biden is the best one."
But just as Biden went from vehemently opposing the creation of the super PAC in April to backing away from that opposition last week, it's possible the super PAC could change its stance on attacking other Democrats if Biden falls behind.
