End Citizens United (ECU) filed a complaint yesterday with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Donald Trump, Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., and X Corp. (formerly known as Twitter Inc.). The complaint centers on the resources that X Corp. owner Elon Musk dedicated to the Trump campaign event Monday night, arguing that it was a flagrant corporate in-kind contribution that violated campaign finance laws.
See below for coverage:
Washington Post: Democratic group files FEC complaint over Trump-Musk interview
Patrick Svitek
08/13/24
Key sections:
- The Democratic group End Citizens United has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing that Donald Trump’s interview with Elon Musk was an illegal corporate contribution to Trump’s presidential campaign.
- The FEC complaint, filed Tuesday, alleges that the interview violated a ban on corporate donations to federal candidates and that an exemption for the media did not apply to the circumstances.
- “Here—the considerable resources of X to host Trump’s campaign event, including dedicating real-time staff to address technical difficulties specifically for the campaign event and the time of its owner to participate in the event—are of significant value to the Trump Campaign,” the complaint says. “The event itself included repeated express advocacy by Musk for Trump.”
- End Citizens United’s president, Tiffany Muller, said in a statement that the interview could “set a dangerous precedent for unfettered, direct corporate engagement in campaigns.”
The Hill: Democratic PAC files FEC complaint over Trump-Musk interview
Lauren Sforza
08/13/24
Key sections:
- The Democratic organization End Citizens United filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday over former President Trump’s interview with tech billionaire Elon Musk.
- Trump spoke with Musk on social media platform X, which Musk owns, on Monday night for roughly two hours after their conversation was delayed by technical difficulties. In its complaint on Tuesday, End Citizens United alleged that the interview was a corporate contribution that violated campaign finance laws.
- “The Donald Trump-Elon Musk campaign rally hosted on X wasn’t just an incoherent diatribe of lies marred by technical difficulties, it was a blatantly illegal corporate contribution to Donald Trump’s campaign,” End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said in a statement.
- “This brazen corporate contribution undermines campaign finance laws and would set a dangerous precedent for unfettered, direct corporate engagement in campaigns. The FEC must investigate this corporate-funded campaign event and hold Trump, his campaign, and X Corp. accountable,” she added.
- The complaint notes that federal campaign finance law prohibits corporations from making contributions to federal candidates, who cannot accept the contributions. It said that the “conversation” between the former president and Musk “amounted to a virtual campaign event for Donald J. Trump financed by X.”
- It also said while there is a media exemption under the law, the resources used by X “to support Trump’s campaign event is not protected by the media exemption.”
- “Here—the considerable resources of X to host Trump’s campaign event, including dedicating real-time staff to address technical difficulties specifically for the campaign event and the time of its owner to participate in the event—are of significant value to the Trump Campaign,” the complaint reads.
Raw Story: Trump-Musk interview a ‘brazen’ violation of federal election laws: FEC complaint
Daniel Hampton
08/13/24
Key sections:
- Trump’s lengthy interview with Musk on Monday “violated” federal rules banning corporations from making contributions to federal candidates, and barring federal candidates from accepting such contributions,” alleged the complaint filed Tuesday by the group End Citizens United.
- The group said the interview “amounted to a virtual campaign event for Donald J. Trump financed by X.”
- “Such a brazen corporate contribution undermines the anti-corruption aims of the Act, and the [Federal Election] Commission should immediately investigate these violations and take appropriate remedial action,” the complaint said.
- The filing jabbed Musk and his app, noting in the “facts” section that the interview “generated headlines” but was “marred with technical issues that featured express advocacy by X owner Elon Musk to support the Trump Campaign.”
- In the legal analysis section, the complaint alleges that a “contribution” — which corporations are banned from making to candidates — includes “‘anything of value’ provided to a federal candidate in connection with their election.”
- “The Commission has held that activities involving the participation of a federal candidate result in contributions ‘if the activities involve i) the solicitation, making, or acceptance of contributions to the candidate’s campaign, or ii) communications expressly advocating the nomination, election, or defeat of any candidate.”
- Tiffany Muller, president of the group, which is supporting Kamala Harris in the race, told The Washington Post in a statement that the interview could “set a dangerous precedent for unfettered, direct corporate engagement in campaigns.”
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