Politico: The Grimes family discount

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The difference between what the company is charging her campaign and the fair market value of the bus rental could be considered an illegal in-kind contribution, according to legal experts.

“If it’s coming from a corporation, it’s illegal,” said Larry Noble, who served as general counsel of the FEC for 13 years and now works at the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group. Corporations are prohibited from donating cash or gifts to a campaign, while individual donors’ limits cannot exceed $5,200 per election cycle.

Lundergan, Noble added, “can volunteer himself to the campaign, but what he can’t do is volunteer his company.” ...

“If they can show that in fact that her campaign could have gone on the open market and gotten the bus for that price, then it’s market value,” Noble said.

“But if all the evidence is that the bus would have cost several times as much, then that’s not going to work.”

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