“A Pennsylvania man on Thursday pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges following a 2020 Politico investigation into a super PAC that said it was spending millions of dollars in battleground Senate races but didn’t actually exist,” Politico reports.
Tammy Murphy Is Suddenly Opposed to Dark Money
“Tammy Murphy has been talking like a campaign finance reformer, calling the amount of money in politics ‘disgusting,’” Politico reports.
“But as New Jersey’s first lady, Murphy spent a year and a half leading a dark-money group without disclosing donors. Now she has a super PAC supporting her bid to replace Bob Menendez in the U.S. Senate.”
Officials Seek Charges Against Trump Fundraising Arm
“Bipartisan ethics regulators in Wisconsin have recommended felony charges against one of Donald Trump’s fundraising arms and other Republicans in a scheme that they say was meant to circumvent campaign finance laws to take out a powerful GOP lawmaker who has turned against Trump,” the Washington Post reports.
“The prosecution referrals became public Friday and add to the legal troubles of the former president, who is already facing 91 charges in four cases in other jurisdictions.”
Wispolitics.com: “The recommendations for prosecution pose another potential legal headache for Trump, who clashed with Robin Vos in 2022 after the longtime Assembly speaker refused his calls to try to overturn Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election results. “
Trump Campaign Trying to Get Away With Donor Loophole
Daily Beast: “Campaign donor refunds have been a part of political finances since modern contribution limits were first instituted in 1972. But just over 50 years later, Donald Trump’s political operation seems to have found a novel workaround, with the campaign reporting just one individual refund—for $400—over the entirety of last year.”
“On paper, Trump’s refund rate is virtually impossible. His campaign has not solved this persistent problem of overpayments. His donors are, in fact, breaking the donation limits—dozens and dozens of them.”
RFK Jr. Super PAC Returned Millions to Donor
“The super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. padded its war chest with millions of dollars in contributions from one of the best-known private security executives in the country, Gavin de Becker,” Politico reports.
“And then it did something remarkable: it returned nearly all of the funds, making his contributions effectively a loan.”
“The move shocked campaign finance watchdogs who said they’ve never seen such an arrangement before. De Becker’s contributions helped the PAC report a high fundraising total that can, in turn, be seen as a sign of legitimacy for the committee. All told, de Becker made $10 million in donations to the super PAC; $9.65 million of which was returned.”
DNC Files Federal Election Complaint Against RFK Jr.
“In a federal election complaint filed on Friday, the Democratic National Committee accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a super PAC backing his independent presidential bid of illegally coordinating on a $15 million petition drive intended to qualify him for the ballot in several states that could be crucial to President Biden’s re-election prospects,” the New York Times reports.
“The 11-page complaint to the Federal Election Commission described the arrangement as an in-kind contribution to Mr. Kennedy’s campaign by the super PAC, American Values 2024, one that violated federal campaign finance laws and breached long-established financial barriers between candidates and outside groups.”
Herschel Walker Still Has a Pile of Cash
“Herschel Walker is still sitting on a pile of campaign cash, leading many political observers to wonder how he plans to spend that dough,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“The failed Republican U.S. Senate candidate filed financial disclosures this week that show his campaign account holds nearly $4.4 million.”
Failed Democratic Candidates Pocket ‘Fellowship’ Cash
Washington Examiner: “A little-known organization fighting for ‘the interests of progressive voters through public advocacy’ is quietly overseeing an unusual ‘fellowship’ to ensure repeat Democratic congressional hopefuls get paychecks between runs.”
“Tax experts have questioned whether New Politics Leadership Academy may have violated its charity status by compensating congressional hopefuls, with the Federal Election Commission receiving at least one formal complaint against a candidate in 2020 over the individual being ‘paid to run for Congress by Democratic groups.”
How a Mysterious Super PAC Is Exploiting FEC Rules
“A shadowy super PAC behind millions of dollars worth of television ads in Montana is showing voters how rules and regulations set by the Federal Election Commission can sometimes fall short of their intended purpose,” The Messenger reports.
“Typically, when a super PAC launches ads worth over $10,000, groups have to disclose which candidate they are supporting or opposing, how much money the expenditure costs, when the ads were disseminated, and the firm who executed the ad within 48 hours of making the communication.”
“Despite airing millions of dollars worth of attack ads, Last Best Place PAC hasn’t issued a single 48-hour notice of independent expenditures. It’s unclear who exactly is behind the ads.”
Republicans Are Making ‘Dark Money’ Even Darker
“For years, dark money groups have enjoyed certain advantages that offer donors anonymity — putting the proverbial ‘dark’ in ‘dark money,'” the Daily Beast reports.
“But late last month, one small outside group quietly told election law regulators to shove off when watchdogs demanded to see the group’s donors, a move that legal experts say could signal a profound shift in campaign finance disclosure laws, making dark money even darker just in time for the 2024 election.”
Crypto Super PAC Network Has $78 Million
“Three allied political action committees funded by leaders of the cryptocurrency industry will be starting 2024 with a combined $78 million as they aim to be key influencers during the pivotal election cycle,” CNBC reports.
“The massive amount of cash that the PACs are prepared to use in support of likely pro-crypto candidates running for seats in both the House and Senate shows how the cryptocurrency industry is still trying to influence elections despite some recent headwinds.”
DeSantis Team Communicated with Super PAC
Associated Press: “Multiple people familiar with DeSantis’ political network said that he and his wife had expressed concerns about the messaging of Never Back Down, the largest super PAC supporting the governor’s campaign, in recent months as his Iowa polling numbers stagnated in late summer and autumn…”
“DeSantis’ team shared those messaging concerns with members of Never Back Down’s board, which includes Florida-based members with close ties to the governor… Some of the board members then relayed the DeSantis team’s wishes to super PAC staff, which was responsible for executing strategy.”
“Federal laws prohibit coordination between presidential campaigns and outside groups.”
McCarthy Spends Lavishly Through His Leadership PAC
Los Angeles Times: “As he exits Congress two months after his historic ouster as speaker, political obituaries tout McCarthy’s skills as a prolific fundraiser on behalf of Republican candidates. Also setting him apart from other congressional leaders was his roughly decade-long pattern of using his Majority Committee PAC to spend lavishly on hotels, private jets and fine dining establishments.”
“From 2012 through last June, McCarthy’s PAC shelled out more than $1 million on hotels, private air travel and eateries… That’s more than double the combined total spent by the leadership PACs of the seven other lawmakers who’ve held the top House and Senate positions for their parties during all or part of that period.”
“Leadership PACs are subject to fewer spending controls than other campaign accounts. In fact, the FEC determined earlier this year that those committees are free to use their money on personal expenses, without limits.”
Big Money Super PACs Keep Blowing It
“The Republican presidential primary isn’t over, but the super PACs with the biggest ambitions may have already lost it,” Semafor reports.
“It wasn’t surprising that some candidates jumped at the chance to effectively outsource their campaign to a handful of big donors, once that became a clear possibility, rather than relying on fickle small donors and exhausting grip-and-grins with bundlers and their friends. In doing so, though, they surrender crucial control and lose the flexibility to course-correct that they have on their actual campaign.”
Trump Accuses GOP Lawmaker of Running ‘Scam PAC’
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign accused Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) of misusing the former president’s image and tricking donors in an online fundraising scheme, The Messenger reports.
How George Santos Got His Money
Daily Beast: “They uncovered what appears to be an illegal pass-through scheme involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit contributions that Santos funneled to his campaign from business clients—perhaps without their knowledge.”
“Santos also appears to have taken the scheme a step further, personally reaping tens of thousands of dollars after he was elected to Congress.”
Disclosures Show No Labels Took Corporate Money
“The political group No Labels says it does not take corporate money, but disclosures from several companies indicate it has received corporate donations, including some received as recently as last year,” Sludge reports.
“The full scope of corporate money that has been given to No Labels is unknown, since the 501(c)4 nonprofit advocacy group does not release information about its donors and is not required by law to do so. But glimpses of corporate donors to No Labels can be seen in companies’ voluntary political disclosures.”
Where George Santos Spent Campaign Funds
The 55-page ethics report looking into allegations against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) shows that he spent campaign funds “on Botox treatments and lavish Atlantic City trips with his husband,” Politico reports.
But there are other more egregious charges:
- $50,000 of donor money solicited for political purposes that was transferred to Santos’ personal account, where some was used for purchases at Sephora, Hermes and OnlyFans, the platform largely used by creators of adult erotic content.
- $20,000 of Santos’ 2022 campaign funds were moved to his personal business’ bank account, where some was used to pay for his rent, $6,000 worth of purchases from Ferragamo stores and a withdrawal from a casino.
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