Week of February 19 - February 23, 2018
Commission meetings and hearings
No Commission meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
Enforcement
The Commission made public three closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.
MUR 7254
- COMPLAINANT: Rebecca J. Jones
- RESPONDENTS: Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Revv, LLC (Revv); Nick Marcelli; Gerrit Lansing; Chris Georgia; and Sikandar Shukla
- SUBJECT: Based on an acknowledgment of a $5 contribution the complainant said she did not make, the complaint alleged that the Committee and/or the owners and operators of Revv, an online platform the Committee used to process campaign contributions, failed to use proper safeguards to prevent the receipt of fraudulent donations or contributions made in the name of another.
- DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in consideration of Commission priorities. The Commission observed the low amount at issue and a refund that had been issued to the complainant.
MUR 7277
- COMPLAINANT: Peter A. Reese
- RESPONDENTS: Buffalo for Bernie Sanders and Brian Nowak, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
- SUBJECT: The complaint questioned whether three checks totaling $750, which the complainant and his wife had intended to support then-presidential candidate Sanders, were used as intended since the Committee had deposited them in three separate banks and did not itemize them in any report to the Commission.
- DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in consideration of Commission priorities. The Commission observed the low amounts at issue and the termination of the Committee.
MUR 7282
- COMPLAINANT: Manort Petsang
- RESPONDENTS: Andrew Learned for Congress and Brenda Stempson, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); and Andrew Learned
- SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Learned used a fictitious address on his Statement of Candidacy, and that the Committee did the same on its Statement of Organization and its 2017 July Quarterly Report. Learned is a 2018 primary candidate for Florida’s 15th Congressional District.
- DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in consideration of Commission priorities. The Commission observed that the Committee had amended the forms and reports at issue.
Audits
- Democratic Party of Hawaii. On February 20, the Commission made public the Final Audit Report of the Commission on the Hawaii Democratic Party, covering campaign finance activity between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012. The approved findings relate to the misstatement of financial activity, receipt of contributions that exceed limits, receipt of apparent impermissible funds, reporting of debts and obligations, recordkeeping for employees, failure to properly report media-related expenditures, and allocation of expenditures. The report addressed additional issues related to the failure to properly report dissemination of media-related expenditures.
Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings
- March 6, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
- March 8, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.
Meeting dates are subject to change. Please contact the Press Office the week of the scheduled meeting for confirmation.
Educational programs
On February 21-22, the Commission hosted a Regional Conference for candidates, parties and separate segregated funds in Scottsdale, Arizona. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.
Upcoming reporting due dates
March 20: March Monthly Reports are due. For more information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2018 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.
Additional research materials
Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section of the Commission website.
The 2017 Campaign Guide for Corporations and Labor Organizations is available. Other Campaign Guides are available, as well.
The 2018 Congressional Primary Election Dates list is available.
Federal Elections 2016: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.
The 2017 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.
The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.
The 2017 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations can be downloaded from the website. To order printed copies, call (800) 424-9530 (press 6) or send an email to info@fec.gov.
The FEC is moving.
In March 2018, the Commission will be moving from its current location at 999 E Street, NW, Washington, DC to 1050 First Street, NE, Washington, DC. The Commission will begin receiving mail at its new address on March 19, 2018.
Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube
Follow @FEC on Twitter to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms at this time. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other mediums has not been authorized by the FEC.