Gabe Kaminsky
04/25/23
(Washington Examiner) A Democratic-linked political action committee is accusing three freshman House Republicans of violating federal campaign finance law. New York Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, and Marc Molinaro “appear” to have unlawfully transferred $4,000 combined between their state and federal committees, according to the left-leaning advocacy group End Citizens United, which filed three separate complaints in mid-April against the congressmen and is calling on the Federal Election Commission to launch an investigation. “The law is intended to prevent corruption and undue influence over our leaders,” Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, said in a statement. “These aren’t one-off mistakes; they appear to be calculated moves.” … In March 2022, LaLota’s federal committee received $1,000 from the Suffolk County Republican Committee, earmarked “from [a] verified source,” according to campaign finance disclosures. D’Esposito’s federal committee pulled in $1,000 in March 2022 from Citizens for D’Esposito, his state committee, filings show. Similarly, Molinaro’s federal committee received $2,000 combined from his state committee in 2021 and 2022, according to End Citizens United. However, a candidate’s nonfederal committee is “prohibited” from transferring “funds or assets” to his or her federal election committee, according to the FEC, which notes that direct contributions constitute a “transfer.” End Citizens United alleges there is “irrefutable evidence” that the lawmakers ran afoul of this regulation… In its complaint against D’Esposito, End Citizens United cited a federal rule in connection to “excessive and impermissible in-kind contributions” to argue that D’Esposito’s state campaign illegally used funds on print and advertising, rent, cellphones, volunteer expenses, and mail services in Washington, D.C. Further, the advocacy group cited his state campaign’s payments for fundraising services to a vendor later paid by his federal campaign.