Week of June 2 – 6, 2025
Commission meetings and hearings
On June 3, the Commission met in executive session.
Enforcement
The Commission made public eight closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Search System.
COMPLAINANT: Tiffany Muller, End Citizens United
RESPONDENTS: George Santos; Devolder-Santos for Congress and Jason Boles, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); and Sam Miele
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Miele, along with Santos and the Committee, violated the fraudulent misrepresentation prohibition of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act). Specifically, the complaint alleged that Miele, who served as a fundraiser for the Committee, the principal campaign committee of Santos, fraudulently misrepresented himself as being “Dan Meyer” on multiple phone call and email solicitations for contributions to the Committee. At the time, Meyer was the Chief of Staff for Representative Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as a staffer on McCarthy’s 2022 congressional campaign. Santos was a 2022 candidate for New York’s Third Congressional District.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations as to Miele and Santos but was divided over findings as to the Committee and closed the file as to it. Vice Chairman James E. “Trey” Trainor, III and Commissioner Allen J. Dickerson issued a Statement of Reasons.
COMPLAINANT: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
RESPONDENTS: Devolder-Santos for Congress and Jason Boles, in his official capacity as treasurer (Devolder-Santos for Congress); Devolder Santos Victory Committee and Jason Boles, in his official capacity as treasurer (Devolder Santos Victory Committee); GADS PAC and Jason Boles, in his official capacity as treasurer (GADS PAC); and Devolder Santos for Congress Recount and Jason Boles, in his official capacity as treasurer (Devolder Santos for Congress Recount)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Devolder-Santos for Congress, GADS PAC, Devolder-Santos Victory Committee, and Devolder Santos for Congress Recount, all of which were related to 2020, 2022, and 2024 congressional candidate George Anthony Devolder-Santos, each misidentified their treasurer on their respective Statements of Organization and accepted contributions and/or made expenditures without a treasurer, in violation of the Act. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the Committees twice misidentified their treasurer: first by naming Thomas Datwyler without his consent, and later by naming Andrew Olson, whom the complaint alleged may not exist. Additionally, the complaint argued that if Olson does not exist then the Committees violated the Act by accepting contributions and making disbursements without a treasurer.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations.
COMPLAINANT: Tiffany Muller, End Citizens United
RESPONDENTS: Sam Brown; MWE Group, LLC (MWE); and Citizens for Nevada PAC Inc. and Mike McCauley, in his official capacity as treasurer (CFN)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Sam Brown, a 2022 candidate for U.S. Senate from Nevada, acting either directly or indirectly from his agent MWE, established, financed, maintained, or controlled Citizens for Nevada PAC, which was an independent expenditure-only committee and that Brown, MWE and CFN violated the Act when Brown and/or MWE caused four individual donors to provide CFN with nonfederal funds later used to make independent expenditures in support of Brown’s campaign. Specifically, the complaint alleged that Brown and MWE, as Brown’s agent, impermissibly directed nonfederal funds to CFN and that CFN impermissibly spent those nonfederal funds in connection with a federal election.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations.
COMPLAINANT: Campaign Legal Center
RESPONDENTS: Campaign for a Conservative Majority and William Hartford, in his official capacity as treasurer (CFCM); William Hartford; and Anna Hartford in her personal capacity and official capacity as assistant treasurer
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that CFCM, William Hartford in his personal capacity, and Anna Hartford in her official capacity as assistant treasurer and in her personal capacity, violated the Act by engaging in a scheme to defraud contributors and by filing false and inaccurate reports with the Commission. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the respondents defrauded donors by fraudulently, and without authorization, using President Donald J. Trump’s recorded voiceover on robocalls to solicit contributions, creating the false impression that the money solicited would be used to support his campaign, failed to report the robocalls as independent expenditures, and by failing to include disclaimers on those robocalls. The complaint also alleged that instead of using the funds to engage in electoral activity, the respondents routed those funds to the Hartfords by making payments to their company, Expert Vendor, LLC, for their personal gain.
DISPOSITION: The Commission closed the file. Vice Chairman Trainor and Commissioner Dickerson and Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum issued Statements of Reasons.
COMPLAINANT: Sophia Gonsalves-Brown and Campaign Legal Center; Noah Bookbinder and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
RESPONDENTS: Red Curve Solutions, LLC (Red Curve); Never Surrender, Inc., f/k/a Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer (Trump for President 2024); Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer (Trump Save America JFC); Save America and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer (Save America); Trump Make America Great Again Committee and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer (TMAGA); Make America Great Again PAC and Bradley T. Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer (MAGA PAC)
SUBJECT: These matters arose from two complaints that alleged that Trump for President 2024, Trump Save America JFC, Save America, TMAGA, and MAGA PAC failed to accurately report payments, in violation of the Act. The complaints alleged that payments made by the committees to Red Curve, aggregating approximately $8.9 million, were in truth made to other unnamed legal service providers or other recipients, and that the disbursements may have indicated that Red Curve made advances on the committees’ behalf that the committees should have reported as contributions. The complaint in MUR 8260 further alleged that payments MAGA PAC reported as having been made to the law firm of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP were, in fact, payments made pursuant to settlement agreements with a former employee and others who raised complaints against MAGA PAC.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations.
COMPLAINANT: Andrew Walden
RESPONDENT: Hawaii Republican Party and Julie-Ann Yamoto, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint and two supplemental complaints alleged that the Committee misreported its financial activity, failed to timely file amendments, comingled committee funds with personal funds, and converted committee funds to personal use, in violation of the Act. In particular, the complaints claimed that, despite selling its headquarters for $549,839.41, the Committee did not report any income from the sale in its federal filings. Based on this alleged misreporting, the complaints speculate that the income from the sale of the headquarters may have been embezzled.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the allegations. Vice Chairman Trainor and Commissioner Dickerson issued a Statement of Reasons.
COMPLAINANT: FEC-Initiated
RESPONDENT: Oklahoma Leadership Council and John Elliott, in his official capacity as treasurer (Oklahoma Leadership Council)
SUBJECT: In the normal course of exercising its supervisory responsibilities, the Commission initiated proceedings to determine whether there was reason to believe the Oklahoma Leadership Council committed seven apparent violations of the Act, totaling approximately $3.7 million, during 2019 and 2020, including 1) misstatements of receipts and disbursements; 2) increased financial activity of receipts and disbursements; 3) contributions from unregistered political organizations; 4) failure to itemize debts and obligations; 5) failure to maintain records of communications; 6) failure to maintain records of employees; and 7) failure to properly report independent expenditures.
DISPOSITION: The Commission entered into a conciliation agreement providing for the Committee to 1) pay a civil penalty of $174,000; 2) work with the Commission’s Reports Analysis Division to disclose the previously unreported receipts, disbursements, debts, and independent expenditures from the 2019 and 2020 calendar years within 12 months of the effective date of the agreement; and 3) refund or disgorge to the U.S. Treasury the $16,981 in contributions the Committee received from unregistered political organizations within 90 days of the effective date of the agreement.
Litigation
CREW v. FEC (Case No. 22-0035) On June 4, Plaintiff filed a Reply in Support of its Motion for an Order Declaring that Defendant Has Failed to Conform to the Court’s Judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Democratic National Committee, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al. (Case No. 25-587) On June 3, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order, denying plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction as moot and granting defendants’ motions to dismiss.
National Republican Senatorial Committee, et al. v. FEC, et al. (Case No. 24-621) On May 30, Petitioners filed a Reply Brief and the DNC, DSCC, and DCCC filed a Motion for Leave to Intervene in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Outreach
On June 4, the Commission held a webinar for nonconnected committees.
Press releases
District Court issues opinion and order in Democratic National Committee, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al. (Case No. 25-587) (issued June 4)
Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings
June 24, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
Upcoming educational opportunities
June 25, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host a FECFile webinar for candidate committees.
July 16, 2025: The Commission is scheduled to host a FECFile webinar for PACs and party committees.
For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.
Upcoming reporting due dates
June 20: June Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2025 Monthly Reporting schedule.
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