Week of December 2 – 6, 2024
Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
Advisory Opinions
Draft Advisory Opinion
Advisory Opinion Request 2024-15 (Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts) On December 5, the Commission made public a draft advisory opinion.
Enforcement
The Commission made public 10 closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Search System.
COMPLAINANTS: Campaign Legal Center; and Margaret Christ
RESPONDENTS: Ditch Fund and Jennifer May, in her official capacity as treasurer (Ditch Fund); Honor Bound PAC and Chris Patton, in his official capacity as treasurer f/k/a Amy McGrath for Senate, Inc. (McGrath Committee); March On PAC and Evvie Harmon, in her official capacity as treasurer (March On PAC); Mike Espy for Senate Campaign Committee and Kaiser Brown, in his official capacity as treasurer (Espy Committee); Targeted Platform Media, LLC; and Buying Time, LLC
SUBJECT: The complaints alleged that the McGrath Committee and the Espy Committee coordinated television advertisements with Ditch Fund and Move On PAC, respectively, through their common vendors, Targeted Platform Media, LLC, and Buying Time, LLC.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the matter. Commissioner Shana M. Broussard issued a Statement of Reasons.
COMPLAINANT: Angela McArdle, Libertarian Party National Chair
RESPONDENTS: Angela Canny Thornton and Joseph Brungardt
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Thornton and Brungardt violated the fraudulent misrepresentation provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act), when Thorton filed an Amended Statement of Organization listing herself as treasurer of the Michigan Executive Committee, Inc., a state party committee affiliated with the National Libertarian Party, and Thorton and Brungardt solicited funds on behalf of the state party committee. The complaint alleged further that Thornton and Brungardt did not deposit the contributions they raised into the state party committee’s designated bank accounts.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.
COMPLAINANT: NRSC
RESPONDENTS: Keith Gross for Florida and Jason D. Boles, in his official capacity as treasurer; Keith Gross; Jason D. Boles; Pure Blue, Inc.; 1954 Capital Partners LLC; and Vigilant RE 320 LLC
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Gross and his campaign Committee violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act), when the Committee received free rent from Pure Blue Inc. and free transportation from 1954 Capital Partners LLC. The amended complaint alleged further that the Committee used corporate business space as campaign headquarters. Gross was a 2024 candidate for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.
COMPLAINANT: Evelyn Bustos
RESPONDENTS: Susan Rubio; Susan Rubio for Congress and Denise Lewis, in her official capacity as treasurer (Federal Committee); and Susan Rubio for Senate 2026 (State Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Rubio, a California State Senator and 2024 candidate for California’s 31st Congressional District, the State Committee, and the Federal Committee violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act), when the State Committee produced and disseminated a mailer that included a QR Code that linked to the Federal Committee’s website. The Complaint further raised allegations that (1) the State Committee made an impermissible in-kind contribution to the Federal Committee using nonfederal funds, (2) the State Committee made a prohibited transfer to the Federal Committee; and (3) the Federal Committee failed to properly report the contribution.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.
COMPLAINANT: Joseph K. Vaden, Jr.
RESPONDENTS: Oklahoma Leadership Council and John Elliott, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); and Nathan Dahm
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee and Dahm, the Committee’s Chairman, disclosed in its 2023 December Monthly Report a series of “unusual” contributions, which the complaint contended were likely made using “straw donors.”
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the straw donor allegations because the available information showed that a clerical error caused the contributions to be misreported; it further exercised prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the misreporting of the contributions.
COMPLAINANT: Alan Darnowsky
RESPONDENT: Samantha Meadows for Congress and David Mulcahey, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee failed to adequately disclose the purpose of more than $27,000 in disbursements. Meadows was a 2022 and 2024 candidate for Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.
COMPLAINANTS: End Citizens United; and Tiffany Muller
RESPONDENT: No Labels
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that No Labels, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, failed to register and report as a political committee despite focusing its efforts on federal campaign activity in opposition to two presidential candidates and making more than $1,000 in expenditures.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the matter.
COMPLAINANT: Billie R. Goins, Jr.
RESPONDENT: Surry County Republican Executive Committee (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee, a party committee registered with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, failed to register as a political committee and failed to include disclaimers on a mailer and palm cards.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.
COMPLAINANT: FEC-Initiated
RESPONDENT: Michigan Republican Party and Jennifer Standerfer, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: In the normal course of carrying out its supervisory responsibilities, the Commission initiated proceedings to determine whether there was reason to believe the Committee failed to accurately disclose an increase in receipts totaling $164,016.80 and disbursements totaling $2,023,423.92 in its 2023 March Monthly Report.
DISPOSITION: The Commission entered into a conciliation agreement providing for the Committee to pay a civil penalty of $43,500.
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: Power to the Polls Wisconsin
SUBJECT: In the normal course of carrying out its supervisory responsibilities, the Commission initiated proceedings to determine whether there was reason to believe the Respondent failed to file three 24-Hour Reports totaling $31,472.72 to support 22 independent expenditures disclosed on its 2022 Year-End Report.
DISPOSITION: The Respondent agreed to 1) develop and certify the implementation and distribution of a policy document to be provided to its compliance vendors and staff detailing independent expenditure reporting procedures to ensure timely and accurate reporting, and 2) pay a civil penalty of $2,350.
Administrative Fines
The Commission made public eight closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Administrative Fine Search System.
AF 4727 Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee and Patrick Bailey, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $499.
AF 4729 Chris Bruneau for Congress and Thomas Datwyler, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $832.
AF 4730 Diehl for Congress and Kurtis Michaud, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $1,497.
AF 4731 Jerica for Congress and Katie Winston, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $173.
AF 4732 National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals PAC (NABIP PAC) and Debra Adlis, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $244.
AF 4733 Tulare County Republican Central Committee (Federal) and Crystal Ragan, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $274.
AF 4734 Auto Care Association Political Action Committee and Nathan Perrine, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $2,926.
AF 4735 Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee and Patrick Bailey, in official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $6,188.
Regulations and agency procedures
REG 2024-06 (Requests to Modify or Redact Contributor Information) On December 5, the Commission made public a second Draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding requests to modify or redact contributor information.
Sample LLC Donor Form On December 5, the Commission made public a Sample Donor Response Form for Contribution by LLCs.
Recommendation that the Office of General Counsel Conduct a Review of the Agency’s Regulations On December 5, the Commission made public a memorandum recommending that that the Office of General Counsel conduct a review of the Commission’s regulations.
Proposed Revisions to Directives 10 and 17 On December 5, the Commission made public a memorandum proposing revisions to Commission Directives 10 and 17.
Legislative Recommendations
Legislative Recommendations 2024 On December 5, the Commission made public the Draft Legislative Recommendations for 2024.
Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings
December 10, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
December 12, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.
Upcoming educational opportunities
January 15, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host Year-End reporting and FECFile webinars for political action committees (PACs) and party committees.
January 22, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host Year-End reporting and FECFile webinars for candidate committees.
For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.
Upcoming reporting due dates
January 31, 2025: Year-End Reports are due. For more information, see the 2024 Quarterly and Monthly Reporting schedules.
The Commission has posted the reporting deadlines for the upcoming special elections in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts.
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 Elections 2020: 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.
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.
Other election-related resources
Videos on protecting U.S. elections. The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides videos designed to help political campaigns protect themselves from foreign influence. The 2019 videos offer guidance on ransomware, business email compromise, supply chain, social media literacy, and foreign influence operations. Other videos, released in 2018, include cyber hygiene topics such as social engineering, patching, router hardening, and app and browser safety.
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.
-
- Judith Ingram
- Press Officer
- Judith Ingram
-
- Myles Martin
- Deputy Press Officer
- Myles Martin