Latest news with #AmericansforPublicTrust
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Dem Rep. Eugene Vindman hit with ethics complaint after campaign promoted brother Alexander's book
WASHINGTON — Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) was slapped with a complaint Monday accusing him of using campaign money to promote a book authored by his twin brother Alexander — a key witness in President Trump's first impeachment. According to the complaint by Americans for Public Trust (APT), Eugene's campaign team touted Alexander's book 'The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine' in fundraising email blasts sent Feb. 27 and March 7 of this year. The Post previously reported that Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show that Eugene's campaign paid $38,783 to a South Florida bookstore where Alexander was concurrently signing copies of the tome as a 'fundraising expense.' Advertisement 'It is clearly illegal to use campaign resources for personal use, and that is just what Representative Vindman has done,' said Americans for Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland. 3 Rep. Eugene Vindman, right, appears to have used campaign resources to promote his brother's book sales. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images 'Rep. Vindman misused campaign resources to help promote his brother's book all the way to the New York Times bestseller list. The tens of thousands of campaign dollars spent to subsidize his brother's spurious book should be immediately investigated by the FEC.' Advertisement FEC rules state that using campaign assets, such as donor lists, for book promotion or other monetary benefit is usually classified as 'prohibited personal use.' The Feb. 27 email blast by Eugene's campaign bore the subject line 'Alex's New Book' and encouraged recipients to purchase a copy, saying that it 'reveals profound truths.' 3 A copy of a campaign email blast from Eugene Vindman shows him promoting his brother's book. Americans for Public Trust complaint The March 7 email again promoted 'The Folly of Realism' and urged recipients to 'claim your copy,' according to the complaint. Advertisement 'Vindman for Congress has significantly subsidized the marketing costs that should be borne by Alexander Vindman and his book's commercial publisher,' APT's filing stressed, citing FEC rules stipulating that campaign funds can't be converted 'by any person to personal use.' The Post reached out to Eugene Vindman's office for comment. 3 Alexander Vindman gained national attention when he testified about President Trump's actions in the first impeachment. Ron Sachs – CNP Ten days after the book's Feb. 25 release date, Eugene's campaign made a $7,809.55 payment to Books & Books in Coral Gables, Fla., followed by a second payment of $30,972.97 processed on March 20. Advertisement The Coral Gables store previously confirmed to The Post last month that Alexander Vindman held book signings at that location and noted that a member of one of Eugene Vindman's team had asked her earlier in the day what she would do if a reporter came around asking questions. Campaign payments to the store were listed as a 'fundraising expense,' but the store worker wouldn't specify whether Eugene's team had actually held fundraising activity there. Two days after the first payment, on March 9, Alexander Vindman posted on X about signing copies of his tome at Books & Books. On March 21, a day after the second payment of $30,973, Eugene posted that he was participating in a chili cookoff in Caroline County, Va. on the day the check cleared. Alexander Vindman's book briefly made the New York Times 'hardcover nonfiction' bestseller list during the week ending March 16. Eugene Vindman won a close race to represent Virginia's 7th District last November with a message centered on fighting against corruption, highlighting his efforts to assist his twin brother in testifying against Trump. Advertisement The Post previously reported that the now-congressman eschewed questions last year about whether his taxpayer-funded trips to Ukraine played a role in his business ventures of trying to sell weapons to Kyiv. Eugene told the Prince William Times that as of late 2023, he had made 14 trips to the war-torn country, funded by the 'Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group' State Department program. But during that time, his company, Trident Support LLC, worked to sell the Ukrainian government a weapons system. That firm also used the same PO box as Vindman's congressional campaign. Vindman raked in $125,000 from Trident early last year despite reports that he did not earn a salary from the company, financial disclosures show.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New report sounds alarm on 'staggering' amount of foreign money pouring into US universities
FIRST ON FOX: A new report from a nonprofit and nonpartisan government watchdog is shedding light on the tens of billions of dollars that have poured into U.S. universities in recent years, including $20 billion to some of the most prestigious universities in the country. The report, produced by Americans for Public Trust and released this week, found that $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts were funneled into American colleges and universities, including $20 billion alone to elite schools like Harvard, Yale, and others. Within that total, $795 million came from nations that are long-standing adversaries to the United States, including China, Russia, Venezuela and Yemen. "Alarmingly, many of these schools are also top research universities that handle sensitive information and intellectual property," the study states. Desantis Says Florida Returned $878M In Taxpayer Funds To Federal Government After Meeting With Musk, Doge The report amplifies concerns that this money is coming into American universities with strings attached and peddling influence from foreign actors overseas. Read On The Fox News App "For far too long, a staggering amount of foreign money has flowed into our colleges and universities with little to no transparency or oversight," Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told Fox News Digital. University Doctor Resigns After Unearthed Audio Exposes Him Boasting About Skirting Anti-dei Laws "Much of these foreign funds can be traced back to countries that have well-established adversarial relationships with the United States or engage in direct or indirect malign activities against our country. It is no coincidence that, in the same time period, we've seen a rise in anti-American demonstrations and radical ideas being cultivated at these institutions. Elected leaders need to take action to crack down on reporting lapses at these institutions to increase accountability and raise public awareness about the entities and individuals influencing these institutions." Anti-Israel protests have erupted on college campuses across the country in recent years, and the report states that threat in 2024, "some of the schools that received the most Qatari money included Ivy League members Harvard and Cornell Universities. The report also documents concerns about money from China pouring into Ivy League institutions. "The effects of monies flowing into college campuses from China are dangerous and widespread," the report states. "In 2024, China poured over $175 billion into U.S. schools, and the historic breadth of this vast enterprise cannot be understated; Americans for Public Trust has already previously uncovered nearly $130 million in Chinese funding to the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania alone over a roughly five-year period." The study concludes that measures need to be taken to ensure foreign influence is not prevalent at American schools, including the passage of the DETERRENT ACT, which would "deter bad actors from attempting to buy influence, conduct espionage, and sow propaganda and discord across the United States via our higher education system."Original article source: New report sounds alarm on 'staggering' amount of foreign money pouring into US universities
Fox News
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
New report sounds alarm on 'staggering' amount of foreign money pouring into US universities
FIRST ON FOX: A new report from a nonprofit and nonpartisan government watchdog is shedding light on the tens of billions of dollars that have poured into U.S. universities in recent years, including $20 billion to some of the most prestigious universities in the country. The report, produced by Americans for Public Trust and released this week, found that $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts were funneled into American colleges and universities, including $20 billion alone to elite schools like Harvard, Yale, and others. Within that total, $795 million came from nations that are long-standing adversaries to the United States, including China, Russia, Venezuela and Yemen. "Alarmingly, many of these schools are also top research universities that handle sensitive information and intellectual property," the study states. The report amplifies concerns that this money is coming into American universities with strings attached and peddling influence from foreign actors overseas. "For far too long, a staggering amount of foreign money has flowed into our colleges and universities with little to no transparency or oversight," Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told Fox News Digital. "Much of these foreign funds can be traced back to countries that have well-established adversarial relationships with the United States or engage in direct or indirect malign activities against our country. It is no coincidence that, in the same time period, we've seen a rise in anti-American demonstrations and radical ideas being cultivated at these institutions. Elected leaders need to take action to crack down on reporting lapses at these institutions to increase accountability and raise public awareness about the entities and individuals influencing these institutions." Anti-Israel protests have erupted on college campuses across the country in recent years, and the report states that threat in 2024, "some of the schools that received the most Qatari money included Ivy League members Harvard and Cornell Universities. "Sadly, both schools have seen a sharp uptick in antisemitic violence and rhetoric since the horrific invasion of Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas in October 2023."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The report also documents concerns about money from China pouring into Ivy League institutions. "The effects of monies flowing into college campuses from China are dangerous and widespread," the report states. "In 2024, China poured over $175 billion into U.S. schools, and the historic breadth of this vast enterprise cannot be understated; Americans for Public Trust has already previously uncovered nearly $130 million in Chinese funding to the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania alone over a roughly five-year period." The study concludes that measures need to be taken to ensure foreign influence is not prevalent at American schools, including the passage of the DETERRENT ACT, which would "deter bad actors from attempting to buy influence, conduct espionage, and sow propaganda and discord across the United States via our higher education system."
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC hit with ethics complaint over $4,550 payments for dance ‘training'
A watchdog has slapped an ethics complaint against 'Squad' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accusing her of misusing taxpayer funds on dance 'training.' Americans for Public Trust, a private watchdog group that targets corruption, alleged that Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), 35, tapped into her Member Representational Allowance to shell out $3,700 to 'Juan D Gonzalez' and $850 to 'Bombazo Dance Co Inc' for what was described as 'training' in December. The watchdog on Tuesday sent a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and argued that the rep made the payments in 'contravention of federal law and the standards of the House of Representatives.' Ocasio-Cortez had dismissed concerns about the two December 2024 payments and seemingly implied they were campaign expenses instead, which the watchdog argued backs its case that the funds were misappropriated. '100% wrong. None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time,' she wrote on X Saturday in response to a critique. The Post was unable to find references to 'Juan D Gonzalez' or 'Bombazo Dance Co Inc' in Federal Election Commission records of Ocasio-Cortez's congressional campaign disbursements. Americans for Public Trust disputed Ocasio-Cortez's assertion that the payments were made with campaign cash by pointing to a section in the 1120-page list of House disbursements between Oct. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. 'Representative Ocasio-Cortez has made expenditures from her official office account that she herself contends should have been reported to the FEC, presumably because they were made for campaign purposes,' the watchdog wrote in its complaint. 'If it is revealed that Representative Ocasio-Cortez has demonstrated a pattern of using her taxpayer-funded MRA to pay her campaign expenses, we further request a full investigation be commenced by your office.' Bombazo Dance Co Inc. is a Bronx-based youth dance organization. Video posted on Bombazo Dance Co Inc.'s Facebook page showed the progressive darling banging on drums and dancing with patrons at the company in December. Details of the 'Juan D Gonzalez' who received payments are not immediately clear. Member Representational Allowance is a fund that the House provides members to help foot the bill for official expenses related to staff compensation, travel, rent, printing documents, mail, equipment and more. In fiscal year 2023, the House allocated roughly $810 million for the Member Representational Allowance, according to the Congressional Research Service. Americans for Public Trust is calling on the OCE to conduct a more thorough review of the congresswoman's use of allowance funds. The Post contacted Ocasio-Cortez's press team for comment. Ocasio-Cortez has faced ethics complaints in the past. Two years ago, she was probed over the 2021 Met Gala over revelations that she received a free ticket to attend the star-studded New York City charity event. She also received a discounted rate for renting a white Brother Vellies dress designed by Aurora James that featured the bright red words 'Tax the Rich' as well as a handbag that she carried at the gala. Reps are restricted under ethics rules from receiving free gifts, barring certain exceptions, but the Met Gala was not one of them. Staffers 'could not explain' the discount, and the OCE unanimously recommended that the House Ethics Committee conduct further investigation of whether she had accepted 'impermissible gifts.' The Bronx and Queens-based rep was also hit with a complaint backed by the Heritage Foundation in 2023 claiming that she was 'falsely accusing' and 'defaming' Chaya Raichik, the woman behind the Libs of TikTok X account. At the time, Ocasio-Cortez publicly accused Raichik of lying in a 2022 post with her claim that a hospital in Boston was 'offering 'gender affirming hysterectomies' for young girls.' The Heritage Foundation accused the congresswoman of 'lying and disseminating disinformation' about Raichik.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC slapped with ethics complaint over 'troubling expenses' made to dance company
FIRST ON FOX: A government accountability nonprofit is calling on the House to launch a probe into whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., misappropriated her taxpayer-funded member allowance. Americans for Public Trust, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) on Tuesday, questioning "several troubling expenses" from AOC's disbursements, which they claim are "in contravention of federal law and the standards of the House of Representatives." Each member of Congess receives a Member Representational Allowance ("MRA"), a budget for official duties that "may not be used for personal or campaign purposes," according to the Congressional Research Service. However, the "Squad" member is being accused of using these funds for "campaign purposes." AOC reportedly made a payment of $3,700 to a "Juan D Gonzalez" and another for $850 to "Bombazo Dance Co Inc.," with both expenditures described as being used for "training." Aoc 'Going On The Offense' To Rally Red-district Voters Against Trump: Report The progressive congresswoman has addressed the issue on social media, claiming in a post on X responding to a claim she is "wasting tax dollars." Read On The Fox News App "100% wrong," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time." Former Illegal Immigrant Aide To Aoc Self-deports To Colombia Amid Questions About Employment: Report The filing states that Ocasio-Cortez's "assertion that these expenses are 'an FEC filing,' and not reflective of her MRA – as well as her claim that '[n]one of this is taxpayer money' – is both troubling and obviously incorrect." "Either she does not know the difference between her campaign funds and MRA, or, more likely, she knows the highlighted expenses were not for official business and should have been paid by her campaign and reported to the FEC." In a statement to Fox News Digital, Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, said, "Representative Ocasio-Cortez's troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated." "Representative Ocasio-Cortez's troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated. In the era of reining in government spending, the American people deserve to know lawmakers are being good stewards of their tax dollars." Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office for comment. The congresswoman has faced ethics complaints in the past, including from the Heritage Foundation in 2023 accusing her of "falsely accusing" and "defaming" the creator of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account, Chaya Raichik. Ocasio-Cortez also faced an ethics probe in 2023 after being accused of accepting "impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021," which may have violated House rules, standards of conduct and federal article source: AOC slapped with ethics complaint over 'troubling expenses' made to dance company
