MUR #7089

RESPONDENTS: Bachmann for President; Watkins, Nancy H.

COMPLAINANT: Office of Congressional Ethics

SUBJECT: Contributions-Excessive; Disbursements; Reporting

DISPOSITION: The Commission decided by a vote of 5-0 to take the following actions as recommended in the Memorandum from the Acting General Counsel dated July 26, 2016: 1. Approve the Conciliation Agreements circulated with the First General Counsel’s Report dated August 26, 2014.
The Commission decided by a vote of 5-0 to: a. Open a MUR in Pre-MUR 560. b. Merge the new MUR into MUR 6724. c. Find reason to believe Bacmann for President and Nancy H. Watkins in her official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 434(b)(5)). d. Find no reason to believe Nancy H. Watkins in her individual capacity violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 434(b)(5)). e. Find reason to believe Many Individual Conservatives Helping Elect Leaders Everywhere PAC and Barry Arrington in his official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 434(b)(5)). f. Find no reason to believe Kent Sorenson violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 434(b)(5)). g. Find reason to believe Many Individual Conservatives Helping Elect Leaders Everywhere PAC and Barry Arrington in his official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. § 30116(a)(2)(A) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 441a(a)(2)(A)) by making excessive in-kind contributions to Bachmann for President. h. Find reason to believe Bachmann for President and Nancy H. Watkins in her official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. § 30116(f) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 441a(f)) by knowingly accepting excessive in-kind contributions made by MichelePAC. i. Find no reason to believe Guy Short violated 52 U.S.C. § 30116(f) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 441a(f)) by knowingly accepting excessive in-kind contributions made by MichelePAC. j. Find reason to believe Bachmann for President and Nancy H. Watkins in her official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(2)(D) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 434(b)(2)(D)) by failing to properly disclose in-kind contributions from MichelePAC. k. Take no action against C&M Strategies, Inc. l. Approve the appropriate letters.
The Commission failed by a vote of 3-2 to: a. Find reason to believe that National Fiscal Conservative PAC and Gerald Weygandt in his official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C §§ 30116(a) or 30118(a) (formerly 2 U.S.C. §§ 441a(a) or 441b(a)) by making an excessive or prohibited in-kind contribution to Bachmann for President in the form of a coordinated communication. b. Find reason to believe Bachmann for President and Nancy H. Watkins in her official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. §§ 30116(f) or 30118 (formerly 2 U.S.C. §§ 441a(f) or 441b) by receiving an excessive or prohibited in-kind contribution from National Fiscal Conservative PAC in the form of a coordinated communication. c. Direct the Office of General Counsel to draft appropriate Factual and Legal Analyses. d. Authorize compulsory process.
The Commission failed by a vote of 3-2 to: a. Approve the Factual and Legal Analyses as recommended in the First General Counsel’s Report dated August 26, 2014 with respect to Recommendations 1-10 and 13.
The Commission decided by a vote of 5-0 to a. Approve the Factual and Legal Analyses as recommended in the First General Counsel’s Report dated August 26, 2014 subject to the edits circulated by the Republican Commissioners on June 14, 2016 at 11:13 A.M. except for the portions relating to Recommendations 11 and 12.
The Commission decided by a vote of 4-1 to hold MUR 6724 and P-MUR 560 in abeyance for three months from the date of certification.