FEC questions Trump campaign about apparent excessive campaign contributions News
FEC questions Trump campaign about apparent excessive campaign contributions

The US Federal Elections Commission (FEC) Senior Campaign Finance & Reviewing Analyst, Ryan Furman, sent a letter Sunday, attached to a 233-page report detailing campaign contributions to the Trump campaign that were flagged as apparently excessive. The letter was addressed to Trump campaign treasurer Bradley Crate and referenced the campaign’s most recent quarterly report covering January 1 through March 31, 2019.

The FEC’s letter states that “Schedule A-P of your report discloses one or more contributions that appear to exceed the limits set forth in the Act,” which reads in part,

An individual or a political committee other than an authorized committee or qualified multi-candidate committee may not make a contribution(s) to a candidate for federal office in excess of $2,800 per election. An authorized committee may not make a contribution(s) to a candidate for federal office in excess of $2,000 per election. A qualified multi-candidate committee and all affiliated committees may not make a contribution(s) to a candidate for federal office in excess of $5,000 per election. The term “contribution” includes any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made by any person for the purpose of influencing any election for federal office. (52 U.S.C. § 30116(a) and (f) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 441a(a) and (f)); 11 CFR § 110.1(b), (e) and (k))

The campaign is instructed to amend their report if the contributions flagged were incorrect, or if correct and excessive to refund the excessive amount. It is permissible for the campaign to retain the excessive amounts if within 60 days they redesignate and reattribute to them another person or persons. The letter also warns the campaign that they cannot presumptively redesignate excessive contributions from multi-candidate committees, otherwise knows as PACs.

The Trump campaign has until July 8 to respond, and failure to do so could result in enforcement action by the commission.