Campaign Legal Center Files FEC Complaints Alleging Scam PACs Defrauded Thousands of Donors
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed two complaints with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), alleging that “Patriots for American Leadership” and “Campaign for a Conservative Majority” fraudulently misrepresented that they were raising money for or on behalf of former President Trump’s reelection campaign. By using Trump’s voice on their fundraising robocalls and falsely claiming to support Trump’s reelection efforts, these “scam PACs” defrauded thousands of donors — many of whom were small donors giving less than $200. In reality, little to none of the money these PACs raised was used to engage in electoral advocacy — i.e., expenditures in support of, or contributions to, federal candidates or committees.
The fraudulent use of Trump’s voice to solicit funds presents a clear violation of federal campaign finance laws that prohibit engaging in fraudulent misrepresentation. CLC also plans to refer these matters to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.
Saurav Ghosh, CLC’s director of federal campaign finance reform, said, “Scam PACs like these harm the public by fraudulently using a candidate’s name, image or voice to convince donors that their money will be used to support the candidate, when in reality these schemes funneled virtually all of the money they raised back into fundraising or into the scam PAC operators’ own pockets. The FEC must not delay in investigating this serious matter.”
Federal campaign finance laws require political committees to accurately report their financial activity. But “Patriots for American Leadership” and “Campaign for a Conservative Majority” seem to have falsified their disclosure reports, and have failed to file required reports, in an apparent attempt to cover up their fraudulent activity. These efforts to conceal illicit activity support the conclusion that both scam PACs and their operators knowingly and willfully violated the law, such that more stringent penalties are needed to hold them accountable.
Federal authorities have a strong track record of holding individuals who engage in scam PAC schemes accountable, and it is imperative that the FEC investigate “Patriots for American Leadership” and “Campaign for a Conservative Majority” for engaging in blatant violations of law that harmed the public.