Trump Starts Fundraising for New PAC Leadership to Maintain Influence in Republican Circles



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“The president always planned to do this, win or lose, so that he could support the candidates and the issues that matter to him, like fighting election fraud,” campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in an emailed statement Tuesday when asked about the PAC.

The committee is called Save America, based on its filings with the Federal Elections Commission. And Trump’s team has already begun raising funds for the PAC, adding Save America to the list of political organizations that will receive a portion of the funds that the president’s operation is struggling to raise for what it calls its “task force. electoral defense “.

The fundraising could keep Trump on the political stage, funneling money to his preferred candidates in the midterm elections and beyond. You can also use the PAC money to finance your own political activity by subscribing to surveys, travel, personnel, and other expenses.

Leadership PACs can accept donations of up to $ 5,000 from each individual donor per year. They can also accept money from other political action committees.

Trump’s plans to start a leadership PAC were first reported by The New York Times.

The Trump campaign has relentlessly bombarded supporters for campaign money, sending more than 149 fundraising emails since 11 p.m. on election night.

A request sent Tuesday morning calls for “every patriot … to help DEFEND the integrity” of the election.

Save America, however, gets an early cut of the funds raised. The fine print shows that 60% of the funds go first to Save America, up to the legal donation limit of $ 5,000, and then to the Trump campaign tally account. Forty percent will go to the Republican National Committee operating account.

Campaign finance experts say Trump is engaging in a bait-and-switch tactic with his supporters.

“He says he needs donor money for election challenge litigation, but he’s putting the money in an account to use for his political future,” said Paul Ryan, Common Cause vice president of policy and litigation.

Fundraising limits are higher for leadership PACs than for candidate committees. A donor could only contribute a maximum of $ 2,800 at this time for a 2024 presidential campaign, but can contribute $ 20,000 to a leadership PAC in four annual installments by that date, Ryan notes.

The spending rules of PAC leaders are also much more relaxed than those of campaign committees and do not restrict politicians from using donor funds for personal expenses, a prohibited use in a presidential campaign account.

“Politicians grossly abuse leadership PACs as bribery funds without breaking any laws,” Ryan said.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

So far, Trump has not conceded his electoral defeat to President-elect Joe Biden, instead repeatedly airing unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, although CNN has reported that some in his inner circle are urging him to accept his defeat.

But it is seen that he will surely continue to influence the state of the country even after he leaves the White House, and will have considerable influence as Republican presidential hopefuls compete for the party’s nomination in 2024.

In a sign of the president’s control over the Republican Party, top Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have failed to acknowledge Biden’s victory. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump is “within his right to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and weigh his legal options.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has so far refused to sign a key document necessary to begin the transition process and give Biden access to the resources he needs to begin preparing to take office in January.

CNN’s Betsy Klein and Paul Murphy contributed to this report.

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