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Reading “In addition to escaping donation limits, no rules prevent the people running super PACs from using contributions to hire themselves or companies owned by their relatives and other insiders.” 😐
In all, super PACs spent nearly $1.5 billion in the 2012/2014 elections. They accelerated the surge of money into politics and stoked confusion among donors and voters alike.
“Some super PAC operatives have spent portions of the donations on their own businesses or have illegally coordinated with candidates.👉 he got an ostensibly independent super PAC he helped run to pay his mother’s company $138,000 for work that was never performed.😶
Attempts to more strongly regulate super PAC spending have foundered. The FEC has repeatedly urged Congress to ban organizers from using donor money for personal purposes. FEC said while current campaign finance laws “are sometimes adequate-sometimes they are not.”
👉 lawmakers are wary about cracking down on super PACs for a simple reason—they depend on the groups to help their re-election campaigns, despite numerous examples of donors getting fleeced.
“It hasn’t yet reached the critical mass where people are screaming about it,” said a senior counsel at Campaign Legal Center. “Ironically, what could do something about it is a number of wealthier donors getting ripped off-They have more clout with legislators.”
These excerpts from a 2015 article👉 HOW POLITICAL CONSULTANTS TOOK A TEXAS OILMAN ON A WILD RIDE👉 The head of a Texas oil dynasty joined the parade of wealthy political donors, aiming to flip the Senate to Republicans. Worth the read. psmag.com/.amp/news/how-…
