The Democratic National Committee has filed another complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s allied super PAC, American Values 2024, accusing it of engaging in deceptive fundraising practices. The complaint alleges that the super PAC did not properly disclose loans and loan repayments to Gavin De Becker, the owner of a private security firm hired by Kennedy, in an attempt to exaggerate its fundraising success and conceal that its largest donor, Timothy Mellon, is also a major supporter of former President Trump. The DNC claims that the PAC’s actions violate election laws and are deceiving the public.
In April, the PAC refunded $2 million to De Becker, following his initial $4 million contribution in February, leading to allegations of improper financial practices. Similar transactions occurred in 2023 when De Becker gave the super PAC a significant financial injection, which was mostly returned by the year’s end. The DNC argues that these transactions should be classified as loans rather than contributions, as labeled in the PAC’s financial filings. Despite the partial refunds to De Becker, the super PAC has touted these transactions as evidence of strong support for Kennedy’s candidacy.
Campaign finance experts find the PAC’s financial transactions with De Becker to be unusual and potentially in violation of campaign finance laws. The government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, Craig Holman, stated that these actions could be considered a violation if they are designed to create a false impression of significant financial backing for Kennedy. The fact that the PAC is returning a substantial portion of the funds back to De Becker suggests a self-serving arrangement between Kennedy and the donor. Andrew Mayersohn from OpenSecrets noted that these transactions could create a misleading perception of strong financial support for Kennedy’s campaign.
This is the third FEC complaint filed by the DNC against the super PAC, with previous allegations related to election law violations in aiding Kennedy’s signature-gathering efforts in key battleground states and funding ballot access for Kennedy in several states. The campaign confirmed securing ballot access in Michigan, where the Natural Law Party nominated Kennedy, allowing him to bypass the signature-gathering process. Larry Sharpe from American Values 2024 denied any coordination with the PAC and stated that they only wanted to help with signature gathering where it was legally permitted. The DNC has not received any response from the FEC regarding its complaints.
Overall, the complaint against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s super PAC raises concerns about potentially deceptive fundraising practices, including improper financial transactions with a major donor and misleading representations of fundraising success. The accusations of violating campaign finance laws and attempts to inflate contribution numbers to create a false image of strong financial support for Kennedy’s campaign paint a troubling picture of the PAC’s operations. The ongoing disputes between the DNC and the super PAC underscore the complexities and challenges of monitoring and enforcing campaign finance regulations in the realm of political fundraising activities.
