For the 2020 cycle so far, McSally has failed to disclose employer/occupation information for 10,541 contributions totaling over $2 Million
Average rate of missing employer/occupation information in 2016 was 0.83% for all of Congress; McSally’s missing rate spiked to 17% in Q2
End Citizens United (ECU) filed a supplemental complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ). The complaint states that the McSally campaign violated election law by failing to report the employer and occupation information for at least 2,572 contributors in McSally’s July 2020 quarterly report. The 2,572 individuals accounted for over 4,600 contributions and collectively contributed over $822,000 to McSally during the second quarter of 2020.
For the 2020 cycle so far, McSally has failed to disclose employer and occupation information for 10,541 contributions totaling over $2 million. A Center for Responsive Politics review found that the average rate of missing employer and occupation information in 2016 was a mere 0.83% for all of Congress. McSally is missing 17% in Q2.
“Martha McSally’s continued disregard for transparency laws that are aimed at preventing foreign interference and illegal money is egregious,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “The public has a right to know that their elections are free and fair, but when candidates refuse to comply with that simple requirement, it raises a big red flag. This is a troubling pattern of behavior, and we urge the FEC to immediately investigate the violation to determine why McSally refuses to abide by the law.”
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 requires candidates to publicly report the identity of a donor who contributes more than $200 per election cycle. The identification must include the donor’s employer and occupation. Senator McSally’s campaign is required to use its “best efforts” to ensure that the required information is collected and reported. Given McSally’s history of noncompliance and this quarter’s unusually high rate, McSally appears to have failed to meet legal requirements.
The failure to collect employer and occupation information is the latest in a long history of violations by McSally. During the 2014 cycle, over a quarter of McSally’s donors were missing the required employer and occupation information. In 2015, the problem became exponentially worse with more than half of individual donors missing the required information. In 2017, ahead of her Senate announcement, McSally once again got herself in hot water for polling for a possible Senate run without filing as a candidate, potentially violating federal election laws. In April 2018, the FEC approved an audit of McSally’s campaign and found she failed to properly disclose finances and failed to collect employment information in 2018 for over 1,200 campaign donations. In November 2019, the Associated Press reported on ECU’s complaint against McSally for failing to report the employer and occupation information for at least 627 contributors who collectively contributed over $284,000 to McSally.
Click here to read the FEC complaint.
###