Week of April 14 – 18, 2025
Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
Advisory Opinions
Opinion Issued
Advisory Opinion 2025-06 (Campaign Legal Center) On April 16, the Commission approved an advisory opinion on tally vote in response to a request from Campaign Legal Center. The Commission concluded that the requestor may file a complaint pursuant to 52 U.S.C. § 30109(a)(1) if it believes a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act has occurred. The Commission received two comments on the advisory opinion request. On April 18, Commissioner Allen J. Dickerson issued a Statement regarding the advisory opinion.
Enforcement
The Commission made public 12 closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Search System.
COMPLAINANT: Noah Bookbinder, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
RESPONDENTS: Freedom Vote, Inc. (Freedom Vote); Fighting for Ohio Fund and Christopher M. Marston, in his official capacity as treasurer; and James S. Nathanson
SUBJECT: This matter was a reconsideration of the complaint in MUR 7465, originally filed in August 2018, which alleged that Freedom Vote, established in 2010 as a non-profit corporation, failed to register and report as a political committee despite spending most of its funds on federal political activity.
DISPOSITION: On July 25, 2019, the Commission found reason to believe that Freedom Vote failed to organize, register, and report as a political committee and that it failed to include a disclaimer on a television advertisement, and the Commission commenced an investigation. On November 9, 2021, the Commission closed the file in the matter. In January 2022, CREW filed suit in CREW v. FEC (Case No. 22-0035), challenging the Commission’s dismissal of its administrative complaint. On March 17, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered a remand of the matter to the Commission and on March 27, 2025, the Commission again considered the allegations in MUR 7465 and voted to close the file. Statements of Reasons were issued by Vice Chairman James E. “Trey” Trainor, III and Commissioner Allen J. Dickerson; Commissioner Shana M. Broussard; and Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum.
COMPLAINANT: Tiffany Muller, End Citizens United
RESPONDENTS: Tom Barrett for Congress and Daniel Wholihan, in his official capacity as treasurer (Federal Committee); Friends of Tom Barrett (State Committee); and Thomas M. Barrett
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Thomas M. Barrett, currently the representative for Michigan’s Seventh Congressional District and a former Michigan State Senator, in his bid for the 2022 general election, used nonfederal funds from the State Committee to pay certain consulting expenses of the Federal Committee, in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act). Specifically, the complaint alleged that the State Committee paid $40,000 of nonfederal funds to Roe Strategic, a consulting firm, on behalf of the Federal Committee.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations.
COMPLAINANT: Tiffany Muller, End Citizens United
RESPONDENTS: Pekau for Congress and Cynthia Katsenes, in her official capacity as treasurer (Federal Committee); Keith Pekau; and Keith for Mayor (Mayoral Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Keith Pekau, a 2022 candidate for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, the Federal Committee, and the Mayoral Committee violated the Act when the Mayoral Committee made payments of approximately $19,196.36 to McPherson Public Affairs Group and COR Services for advertising, consulting, and polling that allegedly benefitted the Federal Committee, as these payments were made after Pekau’s successful mayoral election in 2021 when, according to the complaint, the Mayoral Committee would have had no further need for these vendors’ services.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: Jeffrey T. Eager
RESPONDENTS: Ronald Wyden; and Diana Rogalle
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Rogalle, acting as an agent of Senator Ronald Wyden of Oregon, solicited or directed a $500,000 contribution from Nishad Singh to the nonfederal account of the Democratic Party of Oregon, in violation of the Act’s soft money restrictions and Commission regulations.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegation.
COMPLAINANT: Tiffany Muller, End Citizens United
RESPONDENTS: Sam Brown; Sam Brown PAC f/k/a Sam Brown for Nevada and Chrissie Hastie, in her official capacity as treasurer (terminated) (Sam Brown PAC); and Duty First PAC and Chrissie Hastie in her official capacity as treasurer (Duty First PAC)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Sam Brown, a candidate for U.S. Senate from Nevada in 2022, Sam Brown PAC, which was his 2022 principal campaign committee, and Duty First PAC, a nonconnected committee formed by Brown, appeared to be retiring Brown’s 2022 campaign debts in violation of the debt disclosure requirements and contribution limitations of the Act and Commission regulations.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations.
COMPLAINANT: Dr. Cornel West, Cornel West for President
RESPONDENTS: Unknown Respondents; Never Surrender, Inc., f/k/a Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc. and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer
SUBJECT: The complaint filed by Dr. Cornel West, a 2024 candidate for U.S. President, alleged that unknown persons fraudulently misrepresented themselves as acting on behalf of West’s campaign committee for the purposes of soliciting contributions to West’s opponent, Donald J. Trump, in violation of the Act. Specifically, the complaint alleged that unknown persons registered three domain names that were nearly identical to the domain name owned by West’s campaign and that the three websites directed visitors to the Trump campaign’s official website, which solicited contributions.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: Citizens Defending Freedom
RESPONDENTS: Maxwell Alejandro Frost for Congress and Sandra Argibay, in her official capacity as treasurer (Frost Committee); and ActBlue and George Gilmer, in his official capacity as treasurer (ActBlue)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a 2024 candidate for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, and the Frost Committee knowingly accepted excessive contributions made in the name of another through ActBlue, a hybrid PAC with a non-contribution account that serves as a conduit for contributions to candidates and committees, in violation of the Act.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: Caitlin Sutherland, Americans for Public Trust
RESPONDENTS: Angela Alsobrooks; Alsobrooks for Senate and Jay Petterson, in his official capacity as treasurer (Federal Committee); and Friends of Angela Alsobrooks (State Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Alsobrooks, a 2024 U.S. Senate candidate from Maryland, the State Committee, and the Federal Committee violated the Act when the State Committee made up to $17,836 in disbursements for “fundraising expenses” that the complaint alleged supported Alsobrooks’ federal campaign. The complaint inferred that the disbursements benefitted the Senate campaign because Alsobrooks was term-limited as county executive of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and therefore did not need to fundraise on the state level, the State Committee had not raised much money previously, and the Federal Committee did not spend any money on fundraising during the first two months of the campaign, and Alsobrooks held several federal fundraisers during the period in which the disbursements were made whereas there is no apparent evidence of any state fundraisers. In addition, the complaint noted that Alsobrooks held a fundraiser the same day that the State Committee reported disbursements for fundraising and that the State Committee paid the same company that ran Alsobrooks’ federal fundraisers.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: Jay McDonald
RESPONDENT: Alaska Democratic Party and Monica Southworth, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Committee distributed mailers displaying a phone number, which when called, played a prerecorded message containing express advocacy opposing a 2024 candidate for Alaska’s At-Large Congressional District that lacked an adequate disclaimer.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point PAC Inc.
RESPONDENT: Arizona Republicans Who Believe In Treating Others With Respect and John Webster, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee, an independent expenditure-only political committee, paid to run an advertising campaign on billboards in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area which contained express advocacy for a 2024 candidate for President, and which lacked adequate disclaimers. The complaint alleged that the disclaimers displayed on the billboards were unreadable “when accounting for digital pixelation and drivers’ inability to see the disclaimer at high rates of speed.”
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: TMA Direct, LLC
RESPONDENT: Elder for America and Steve Baric, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee, a hybrid PAC with both contribution and non-contribution accounts, failed to disclose a debt, in violation of the Act. The complainant alleged that it entered into a contract with the Committee to send text messages and sent three invoices for the work it performed but that the Committee did not remit payment or disclose the unpaid amount as an outstanding debt on its FEC disclosure reports.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
COMPLAINANT: David Prutzman
RESPONDENT: Culp for Congress and Elizabeth Curtis, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee, the principal campaign committee of Loren Culp, a 2022 candidate for Washington’s 4th Congressional District, failed to disclose a debt to a vendor for printing services.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
The Commission made public one closed case, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Search System.
COMPLAINANT: FEC-Initiated
RESPONDENT: American Principles Project PAC and Anthony LaBruna, in official capacity as treasurer
SUBJECT: In the normal course of exercising its supervisory responsibilities, the Commission initiated proceedings to determine whether there was reason to believe the Committee failed to disclose $178,262.12 in additional in-kind contributions on its 2024 April Quarterly Report.
DISPOSITION: The Committee agreed to participate in an FEC training program and develop and certify implementation of procedures to ensure that in-kind contributions are timely tracked and reported.
Administrative Fines
The Commission made public one closed case, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Administrative Fine Search System.
AF 4719 Pulliam’s Committee and DaJohn Garrett, in official capacity treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $202.
Audits
Final Audit Report of the Commission on the Nebraska Republican Party. On April 15, the Commission made public the Final Audit Report of the Commission on the Nebraska Republican Party, covering campaign finance activity from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. The Commission approved a finding related to Misstatement of Financial Activity.
Commissioner Statements
On April 15, Vice Chairman Trainor and Commissioners Dickerson and Lindenbaum issued a Policy Statement Concerning Enforcement Procedures.
Litigation
Campaign Legal Center v. FEC (Case No. 24-2585) On April 15, the Commission filed a Reply in Support of its Motion for Summary Judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings
April 29-30, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
April 30, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.
May 20, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
May 22, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.
Upcoming educational opportunities
April 29-30, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar for political party committees.
May 20-21, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar for candidate committees.
June 4, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar for nonconnected committees.
For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.
Upcoming reporting due dates
April 20: April Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2025 Monthly Reporting schedule.
The Commission has posted the reporting deadlines for the upcoming special election in the Texas 18th Congressional District.
Additional research materials
Contribution Limits. In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.
Federal election results are available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.
FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.
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 Presidential Election Campaign Fund Tax Checkoff Chart provides information on balance of the Fund, monthly deposits into the Fund reported by the Department of the Treasury, payments from the Fund as certified by the FEC, and participation rates of taxpayers as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information on the Presidential Public Funding Program, see the Public Funding of Presidential Elections page.
The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.
Join the FEC on X and YouTube
Follow @FEC on X 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. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other media has not been authorized by the FEC.
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- Myles Martin
- Deputy Press Officer
- Myles Martin