Trump accused of campaign finance violations in FEC complaint
A Democratic fundraising organization has announced that it is filing a complaint to the Federal Election Commission in which it accuses former president Donald Trump of violating campaign finance laws by spending political funds for a 2024 presidential bid without officially declaring his 2024 candidacy.
The American Bridge Super Pac, which filed the complaint on Monday, said in the complaint that “Trump has been illegally using his multi-candidate leadership PAC to raise and spend funds in excess of Commission limits for the purpose of advancing a 2024 presidential campaign.
“His failure to timely file a Statement of Candidacy with the Commission is a clear violation of the [Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971].”
Under federal election campaign rules, candidates are required to register with the FEC within 15 days of receiving contributions or spending more than $5,000 on a presidential campaign.
The complaint uses Trump’s own words, including the address he delivered at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando last month, in which he said: “We did it twice and we will do it again … We are going to be doing it again a third time.”
According to the complaint, Trump’s primary Pac, Save America, has spent over $100,000 weekly on Facebook ads and has “consistently raised more than $1 million per week”.
“Save America’s ads are clearly an attempt to influence Mr Trump’s election to federal office in 2024,” the complaint says.
Save America’s expenditures include those spent on Trump’s travels, events at Trump properties, rallies where Trump is a featured speaker and consulting payments to former Trump campaign staff.
American Bridge has asked the FEC to “compel disclosure of any expenditures made to further Mr Trump’s candidacy, enjoin Mr Trump from further violations, and fine Mr Trump the maximum amount permitted by law.”
In a statement reported by the Washington Post, Jessica Floyd, president of American Bridge, said Trump needs to be held accountable by Democrats and Republicans alike.
“Whenever they are taking a break from calling for tax hikes for Americans and Obamacare repeal, Republicans are scrambling to see who can praise Trump the most – even as he continues his effort to grift his way back to the White House. They should be ashamed to support such obvious lies, and we should all see him for what he is and hold him accountable.”
Trump’s team criticized the filing, calling it a “cheap gimmick” that revealed how the Democratic party “has become a dumpster fire that’s void of solutions and substances”.
“America is spiraling into disaster because of the Democrats’ failures, and instead of reversing course, they are busy filing frivolous complaints that have zero merit,” Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich said.