A nonpartisan watchdog filed a complaint with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) on Tuesday alleging President Trump
Donald John TrumpRead: Attorney General William Barr’s written testimony before the Barr House Judiciary Committee hoped to blame Democrats for efforts to ‘discredit him’ at the next hearing of 22 people facing federal charges in connection with the Portland protests. PLUSThe reelection campaign violated the law by “laundering” $ 170 million in expenses in an effort to hide payments to people close to the family and the Trump campaign.
The 81-page complaint, filed by the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), alleges that the former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale
Bradley (Brad) James ParscaleMORE He used a “transfer” company to pay intermediate sellers, including Trump campaign members, associates, and family members.
“This illegal conduit scheme leaves voters in the dark about the entities working for the Trump campaign, the nature of their services and the total amount they are paid,” said Brendan Fischer, CLC federal reform director. . “We don’t know everything that this scheme hides, but we do know that it violates the law.”
The CLC has asked the FEC to investigate and take action against the campaign to channel payments through the American Made Media Holding Corporation (AMMH), which is the parent company that the Trump campaign allegedly used to hide payments.
The Trump campaign told The Hill that it has done nothing wrong. Spokesman Tim Murtaugh said AMMH is responsible for “organizing and executing purchases of media and related services at fair market value.”
“AMMC does not earn commissions or fees. Build efficiencies and save money for the campaign by providing these in-house services that would otherwise be performed by external providers, ”said Murtaugh. “The campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by the FEC. The campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations. “
The Trump campaign is a massive organization. It has raised more than $ 947 million this cycle and has thousands of employees.
Parscale had oversaw the campaign’s spending until it was demoted a few weeks ago. Some Republicans criticized Parscale for hiring campaign work with their own companies and clients, but the Trump campaign has defended its spending.
The CLC complaint alleges that the Trump campaign authorized $ 170 million through AMMC, which it says was used as a “clearinghouse” for payments that were directed to friendly political consulting firms or people who failed to record payments with The fec.
“The companies serve as conduits that receive millions in campaign payments and disburse the funds to the campaign’s final providers, thereby concealing the campaign’s transactions with those providers,” the complaint read.
“By failing to report payments to true campaign sellers and employees, the Trump campaign and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee have violated and continue to violate the transparency requirements of federal law and undermine the vital role of public information that the reports must comply. “
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