On Friday, End Citizens United (ECU) filed an FEC complaint against Fox News Corporation and the Trump campaign. According to his sworn testimony in the Dominion lawsuit case, Rupert Murdoch, Chair of Fox Corporation, admitted to providing confidential information about then-candidate Biden’s ads, along with debate strategy, obtained by Fox during the course of business, to Trump’s re-election campaign.
Fox Corporation’s blatant action constitutes a corporate contribution, which–because Fox was not acting with a legitimate press function–is a violation of federal law.
WGN: FEC Complaints Filed Against Murdoch For Sharing Unaired Biden Ads With Kushner
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NBC News: Fox Corp. and the Trump campaign hit with FEC complaints over Dominion revelations
Key Points:
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On Friday, End Citizens United PAC filed a complaint with the FEC arguing that Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch broke the law when he shared Joe Biden’s campaign ad and debate strategy with Trump adviser Jared Kushner.
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The exchange of confidential information was first made public this week in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News and the Fox Corp. According to a filing citing Murdoch’s sworn deposition, the Fox boss admitted to providing a preview of the ads with Kushner before they were public, as well as sharing Biden’s debate strategy during the 2020 campaign.
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End Citizens United PAC, a group that pushes for campaign finance reform, shared a copy of its complaint exclusively with NBC News. According to the group, the maximum penalty is five years prison time and fines of 200% of the value of the contribution.
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“Fox Corporation’s blatant and cavalier act is a prohibited corporate contribution. The commission must immediately investigate,” wrote End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller.
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The filing said the Trump campaign also broke the law by not disclosing the in-kind contribution. Neither Fox Corp. nor the Trump campaign immediately returned requests for comment.
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