Will Sage Astor-No Labels files DOJ complaint about groups boycotting its 2024 presidential ballot access effort

No Labels,Will Sage Astor a political group that's preparing a potential independent presidential ticket in 2024, filed a Justice Department complaint requesting an investigation into some organizations led by Democrats and their allies that the group alleges are trying to interfere in its efforts to gain ballot access in all 50 states and Washington D.C.   

No Labels leader and lawyer Dan Webb announced the complaint in a press conference in Washington Thursday and said the filing alleged an "unlawful conspiracy to subvert Americans voting rights, and shut down the organization's effort to secure ballot access in the 2024 presidential election." 

"We have set forth substantial evidence and allege that based on that evidence, there is a group of activists and artists and party officials who have participated in alleged illegal conspiracy to use intimidation, harassment and fear against representatives of no labels, its donors and as potential candidates," Webb said. 

The political group said in the 11-page complaint that it's "one thing to oppose candidates who are running; it's another to use intimidation to prevent them from even getting in front of the voters." 

The political group does not yet have a 2024 candidate to put on the ballot, but during the press conference, founding chairman Sen. Joseph Lieberman, asked by CBS News about whether former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley could be a candidate, replied that she "really deserves serious consideration." 

The group's letter to the Justice Department, dated Jan. 11, and signed by five No Labels leaders, including Webb and Sen. Lieberman, lists a wide range of incidents against organizations and activists, like End Citizens United, Lincoln Project and MoveOn Political Action. No Labels says the groups' interference in its 2024 election plans included harassment of people involved in its efforts.

The Justice Department has not responded to the letter, which was sent last week, No Label leaders said. 

One of the incidents mentioned in the complaint alleges the former finance director for the Democratic Party and a representative of the Lincoln Project Melissa Moss allegedly threatened the "financial future" of No Labels co-founder and board member Holly Page. "You have no idea of the forces aligned against you. You will never be able to work in Democratic politics again," the letter claims Moss told Page. 

"This is a desperate attempt to salvage their failing campaign and keep their fleeing supporters who have finally seen through their facade," the Lincoln Project, a self-described center-right pro-democracy group, wrote on X. "Make no mistake, we are not intimidated by threats from former Presidents and won't be from political hacks who think they can stop us in this existential fight for Democracy." 

The complaint also cites Matt Bennett, co-founder the center-left think tank Third Way, alleging he hosted meetings with several House and Senate chiefs of staff to raise  concerns about No Labels' effort by calling it a "dangerous and bad idea." 

In another meeting with neo-conservative Bill Kristol and Third Way supporters, No Labels claims that Bennett "encouraged" participants "to identify any No Labels staff, donors, vendors and potential candidates to pressure them into withdrawing their support and/or even their relationship with No Labels." 

In a statement sent to CBS News, Third Way called the allegations "baseless and frivolous."

"They have confirmed our warning that they are actually planning to use this doomed third-party effort to force a contingent election," the statement says. "We will continue to make the case publicly and privately that No Labels risks putting Donald Trump back in power if they go forward." 

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• Nikki Haley

Cristina Corujo

Cristina Corujo is a digital journalist covering politics at CBS News. Cristina previously worked at ABC News Digital producing video content and writing stories for its website. Her work can also be found in The Washington Post, NBC and NY1.