What do former Congressman Alan West commentator Laura Ingraham and Sheriff David Clarke have in common? All are well-known conservatives and a ton of money is being raised for their respective US Senate campaigns.
And heres a twist:
none of them are actually running for office.
Mail boxes of conservatives are filling up with fake solicitations offering great promises and dire warnings designed to scare up some money. The appeals are often built around sexy-sounding but nonexistent campaigns but their only business is writing begging letters signing payroll checks and making big payments to questionable vendors nothing for candidates.
One such paper PAC Conservative Freedom Fighters is soliciting Laura Ingraham fans for contributions of $25 $50 and even $1000 to support her campaign" for US Senate. Ingraham called the PAC totally fraudulent" and
asserted it represents everything people hate about politics. Im not running for Senate and no one should give this PAC a cent."
Another paper PAC has just started to raise money for her campaign." To clear her name Laura Ingraham tweeted: Tell everyone NOT to give a DIME to the Principled PAC run by some guy named Reilly ONeal supposedly for my Senate run." ONeal who touts himself as a political consultant"
collected over a quarter million dollars from the (real) US Senate campaign of Alabamas Roy Moore.
Ingraham is not the only target of paper PACs. When Congressman Alan West (R-FL) lost his re-election race in 2012 he filed a
complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He maintained that some PACs had diverted funding from his candidacy by using his name and image to raise dollars that did not end up in his campaign coffers. West narrowly lost that election perhaps because paper PAC competitors cost his campaign money and the margin of victory.
How do these hucksters get away with it? If PACs raise money autonomously collusion with campaigns and any contact with office seekers are strictly
verboten by the FEC they can run
independent expenditure campaigns to support or oppose a candidate. Or in the case of a paper PAC choose to just make money.
When a paper PAC does make an independent expenditure it often takes the form of relatively inexpensive Internet ads with messages like Elect (insert conservative icon name here) patriots desperately need him on Capitol Hill!" The rest of the ad is fundraising jargon designed to collect even more contributions from unsuspecting conservatives.
All PACs must disclose to the FEC overhead costs and monies used in electioneering. Paper PACs generate huge expenses especially outlays for fundraising activities and their vendors are often tied directly to PAC operatives. Their FEC reports also show little or even no investments in campaigns.
Heres how one paper PAC does business.
Wisconsin Sheriff David Clarke has called the Draft Sheriff David Clarke for Senate" PAC which uses his name to raise money for a non-existent campaign a scam." He explained to the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that they dont need my permission to do it. Every time I turn around I talk to people and say No Im not running for Senate hang onto your money."
According to its FEC
filings as part of its mission to elect" Sheriff Clark the paper PAC bought a $10000 benefactors table at the Media Research Centers annual gala and paid $12000 to be a sponsor of the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference. The PAC incurred over $10000 for transportation and other expenses at the confab including $1000 for meals and lodging at the Trump International Hotel. The Clarke for Senate PAC also spent $5000 on tickets and expenses for President Trumps inauguration.
From January 2017 to July 2018 Jack Daly who serves as chairman and treasurer of the Clarke for Senate PAC was paid over $585000 for his fundraising
services. Thats about 30 percent of the PACs total budget but there were scores more of line items for fundraising expenses in their FEC reports.
Some paper PACs ostensibly raise money in support of conservative candidates but only a fraction of their haul is donated to campaigns. A few have familiar names:
- For the years 2014 through 2018HUCK PAC (affiliated with former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee) grossed over $6.2 million. It spent about 18 percent of its income on campaigns and independent expenditures. The rest went to fundraising expenses salaries and overhead.
- The Center for Public Integrity found that Sarah PAC (affiliated with Sarah Palin) spent 10 times as much on consultants in 2015 and 2016 than it did on donations to candidates.Sarah PACs numbers from 2014 arent very impressive either: $2.8 million raised and $205000 invested in campaigns. In 2012 $298500 went to candidates out of a gross of $5 million. Palin officially shut down her PAC at the end of 2016.
Paper PACs operate under patriotic monikers and come in all sizes. The Advancing Freedom Fund grossed $750000 during the last two years
spending zero dollars on candidates and $181 on independent expenditures. The Black Republican PAC
raised over $1.5 million since 2012 while donating a total of $48000 to candidates and allocating $90000 to independent expenditures.
Black Republican PACs treasurer is Scott Mackenzie and he is listed as treasurer of at least 30 other PACs including the Veterans Victory Fund Conservative Majority Fund Founded on Truth and the Tea Party Majority Fund. According to political investigative
site Open Secrets six of Mackenzie-affiliated PACs spent millions on fundraising calls and mailings including more than $600000 paid directly to Mackenzie-owned vendors.
Paper PAC vendors do very well. Consider InfoCision a robo call agency. Their clients have included presidential candidate Ben Carson groups connected to
the Tea Party movement and a pro-Donald Trump political action committee. A Center for Public Integrity
analysis of Federal Election Commission records reveals that over the past five years political action committees have paid InfoCision at least $24.8 million to send recorded messages to prospective donors. Former employees have alleged the company preys on elderly people and an investigation by
Bloomberg Markets magazine and the law firm of
Parker Waichman found InfoCision kept most of the money it raised on behalf of the March of Dimes Foundation the American Diabetes Association and other charities.
Another example. According to an investigative
report from the Sunlight Foundation Patriot PAC raised $650000 since 2012 and paid more than $45000 to ELA Data Services a business owned by the PACs treasurer Eldon Alexander. Another vendor with the exact same address as Patriot PAC was awarded $204000 for fundraising services. Patriot PAC gave a total of $8500 to candidates over the past eight years.
There is good news bubbling up in all this.
Campaigns & Elections magazine
quotes Republican strategist Tony Marshs assessment of paper PACs: The FBI has clearly signaled theyre more concerned with fraudulent activity associated with campaigns and their consultants and have been working more aggressively with the FEC to find and investigate these kinds of things. The rise of scam PACs has created new energy for federal investigators." Last May the FBI
raided the offices of Scott Mackenzie.
There are 4000 PACs in the US most of them small to medium in size and they legitimately represent political causes farmers healthcare providers chiropractors gun owners etc. A large majority are professionally run and have above board business practices. And thankfully there is a free market of political action committees. Conservatives all donors really should shop around and contribute wisely.
Caveat Emptor.
_____
Peter B. Gemma is an award-winning freelance writer and veteran political consultant. He has been published in a wide variety of venues including
USA Today TheDailyCaller.com AmericanThinker.com and
Military History.
