Sky Palma
04/25/23
(Raw Story) The left-leaning advocacy group End Citizens United says three freshman House Republicans have violated federal campaign finance law, the Washington Examiner reported… “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.” … The Examiner’s report stated that in March 2022, LaLota’s federal committee received $1,000 from the Suffolk County Republican Committee, earmarked “from [a] verified source.” D’Esposito’s federal committee raised $1,000 in March 2022 from Citizens for D’Esposito, and Molinaro’s federal committee received $2,000 in total from his state committee in 2021 and 2022, according to End Citizens United. The FEC stipulates that a candidate’s nonfederal committee is “prohibited” from transferring “funds or assets” to his or her federal election committee. The agency also says direct contributions constitute a “transfer” — regulations that End Citizens United say the lawmakers violated. It its complaint, End Citizens United says D’Esposito’s state campaign illegally used funds on print and advertising, rent, cellphones, volunteer expenses, and mail services in Washington, D.C.