Latest news with #FederalElectionsCommission
The Hill
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Trump doubles down on claims Harris paid for endorsements, says she should be ‘prosecuted'
President Trump on Saturday doubled down on his accusations that former Vice President Harris paid celebrities to endorse her during the 2024 presidential election. The president, echoing previous claims that Harris paid Beyoncé, Oprah and Al Sharpton to support her White House bid throughout the campaign trail, said Harris and the celebrities involved should be 'prosecuted.' 'YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out,' the president wrote in a Truth Social post. 'Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter,' he added. Trump made similar claims about the former vice president earlier this year and late last year. 'Beyoncé didn't sing, Oprah didn't do much of anything (she called it 'expenses'), and Al is just a third rate Con Man,' he said in December. In Saturday's post, the president claimed Harris paid $11 million to Beyoncé, $3 million to Oprah, and $600,000 to Sharpton. Oprah previously said she 'was not paid a dime' to appear alongside Harris at a live-streamed event. Production fees were covered by the campaign, however. 'The people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story,' she wrote last fall. The Harris campaign previously denied paying Beyoncé for an endorsement. Records from the Federal Elections Commission show the Harris campaign did pay Beyonce's production company Parkwood Production Media LLC $165,000. Such reimbursements are frequently associated with large event production and cannot be donated to political campaigns.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Money is flowing: Here's how much Kentucky's U.S. House candidates have raised
It might be an off-year for Kentucky elections, but fundraising for the upcoming 2026 campaign cycle is well underway. The latest quarterly financial reports just released by the Federal Elections Commission show that Democrats and Republicans running for U.S. House have been working hard to fill their campaign coffers. Some candidates, like those in Central Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, are gearing up for competitive primary and general elections. Others are padding their already multi-million-dollar accounts. These reports show the amount of money raised, spent and left on hand as of June 30 of this year. Supporters plowed thousands into campaign coffers for three candidates for Central Kentucky's 6th Congressional District: Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester; former Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman David Kloiber; and former state legislator Cherlynn Stevenson. The seat is being left by incumbent Rep. Andy Barr, who is one of several Republicans vying for Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat. After more than 40 years in the U.S. Senate, McConnell is not seeking reelection in 2026. Other Republicans and Democrats will join their rank, but either announced after the June 30 date or are expected to. In Northern Kentucky, 4th Congressional District Rep. Thomas Massie also posted one of the most impressive financial quarters of his political career. He might need it, given that President Donald Trump has pledged his efforts to unseat Massie for his insubordination in House votes as well as foreign policy discussions. Here's how they all stacked up: Stevenson has the fundraising edge in the early days of the Democratic primary campaign for the 6th Congressional District, though the primary is still 10 months off. The former House Democratic caucus chair, who was once seen as likely to lead the caucus before narrowly losing her House seat last year, has raised more than $210,000 since launching her campaign in mid-May. The campaign boasted that more than three-quarters of the contributions were less than $25 and that individual donors hailed from more than half of Kentucky's 120 counties. Aside from fundraising, Stevenson has racked up a long list of endorsements from Democratic leaders local and statewide. Chief among them are Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, Fayette County Attorney Angela Evans, state Sen. Reggie Thomas and several of her former colleagues in the state House. After reporting about $42,000 in expenditures thus far, Stevenson has about $168,000 on hand as of the end of June. In just a month's time, Kloiber isn't too far behind Stevenson in the fundraising game with $135,000 on hand as of June 30. That's thanks in large part to personal loans he has given his campaign. Of the $138,795 total raised during the quarter, $97,000 has come from Kloiber's own pocketbook, who loaned his campaign that amount in four installments during the month of June. Kloiber received $41,795 from individual donors, a majority of which came from Kentucky. The newest Democratic candidate has experience self-funding a major campaign. In 2022, Kloiber survived a primary contest to take on Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. The incumbent mayor, a political mainstay in Fayette County, won by a decisive 42-point margin despite Kloiber putting in $630,000 of his own money, out-raising Gorton 4-to-1. Kloiber's family trust, which he is paid to help manage, is likely worth more than $1 billion, according to a Herald-Leader story from the 2022 campaign. His father put $310 million in the trust in 2008, funds earned from his share of the sale of a Lexington company, Exstream Software, to Hewlett-Packard. Lurking in the distance for the Democrats is Zach Dembo, a former federal prosecutor who worked in Gov. Andy Beshear's office for two years during Beshear's first term. Dembo is often mentioned as a potential candidate and has not denied interest in the race, but has not officially declared for a run. As of June 30, Dotson was on an island as the only Republican running for the 6th Congressional seat being made vacant by Barr's pursuit of higher office. That changed with the entrance of state Rep. Deanna Gordon, R-Richmond, and what seems like a probable bid from Ralph Alvarado, a former state senator. So far, Dotson raised about $95,975. A majority of that total came via $60,000 that Dotson, a pastor and businessman, loaned his own campaign. Individual contributions largely came from either Pike County, where he is from, or Clark County, where he lives. Having only $1,476 in reported expenses, Dotson's cash on hand as of June 30 was $94,198, per his Federal Elections Commission filing. Dotson, who had been openly considering running for the seat for a long time, officially declared for the seat in late April, giving him a little more than two months to raise funds ahead of the June 30 deadline. The race was seen in a different light by many just a couple weeks ago. Many observers had pegged state Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, a popular figure in the district's largest city, as the favorite, but she announced that she wouldn't seek the seat last week. Moments after Bledsoe's comments, Alvarado announced that he was 'strongly considering' entering the race. After more than 12 years in Congress, Rep. Thomas Massie broke some personal fundraising records this quarter. His campaign reported $584,325 raised from April through June, leaving it with $1.7 million on hand — the most its ever had. It comes at a time when some Massie allies are battening down the hatches for a fight, or, perhaps more accurately, a firebombing. In a series of posts on social media and in comments to the press, Trump has made it clear that getting rid of Massie via GOP primary is a priority. No candidate with significant name ID has stepped forward yet, but a political action committee, MAGA KY, has been formed for the purposes of bringing Massie down. That committee is led by Chris LaCivita, Trump's 2024 campaign co-manager. Numbers on just how much the group is willing to spend to bring Massie down vary, but it spent $1 million in a recent ad buy criticizing the congressman's anti-interventionist foreign policy stances and just announced another round of spending at $800,000. The initial ad claimed he 'sided with the ayatollah' in a reference to Massie's opposition to the Trump-authorized strikes on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities, and the second one tries to pair Massie with Democrats for his opposition to Trump's biggest legislative push. Massie's campaign says he has raised just over $1 million this cycle. The congressman also said in the statement to the Herald-Leader that the funds spent against him are 'wasted,' given the GOP's precarious majority in the U.S. House. 'Every Republican I've talked to has said the $1.8 million they've wasted attacking me would be better spent defending our House majority,' Massie wrote. He also claimed that several elected officials in the 4th Congressional District have 'rejected' the recruiting efforts of his political enemies. 'They've been searching for months and still can't find a credible candidate,' Massie wrote. State Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, has been discussed as a potential contender, but has not indicated publicly if he'll take on Massie. Elon Musk, the world's richest man and CEO of companies like X, SpaceX and Tesla, has said he will support Massie this cycle. Musk was a key political supporter of Trump's, spending nearly $300 million on the 2024 presidential election, and an early force in his administration via the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk and Trump fell out later this spring and have been at odds with each other over government spending matters and more, prompting Musk to say he'll spend less on politics. Massie has another prominent ally, this one stateside. Sen. Rand Paul told reporters Monday that he would endorse Massie, an ideological fellow traveler in his libertarian leanings. Rep. James Comer continues to build on the massive trove of campaign cash he's amassed since becoming a congressman in 2016. He raised $256,000 in April, May and June, ending that period with more than $3.2 million on hand. Comer is widely believed to be considering a run for governor in 2027. In 2015, he narrowly lost the GOP nomination for that office to Matt Bevin, who served one term as governor. The only Democrat to have registered to run against Comer, John Williams, has raised a little less than $4,000. In Eastern Kentucky's 5th Congressional District, newly-minted Democratic candidate for Rep. Hal Rogers' seat Ned Pillersdorf reported raising $11,045 in the period before June 30. Pillersdorf did not go public with his campaign until late June. Rogers, meanwhile, ended the period with a campaign warchest of $842,142 despite raising relatively little during that period. Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, the lone Democrat in Kentucky's federal delegation, raised about $256,000 this quarter. That left him with more than $1.3 million on hand; no Republican has filed to run against McGarvey thus far. Rep. Brett Guthrie, who represents the Western and South Central Kentucky 2nd Congressional District, had not reported his quarterly finances as of Tuesday afternoon. However, the longtime congressman who was recently named chair of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee saw an influx of funds totaling more than $1 million during the first quarter of this year.
Bloomberg
04-06-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
Democrats Lose Challenge to Trump's Order on Election Commission
The Democratic Party's governing body lost its legal challenge to an executive order by President Donald Trump that it said would eliminate the bipartisan nature of the Federal Elections Commission and shift authority to the White House. In a ruling late Tuesday, US District Judge Amir Ali in Washington said he was satisfied by the Trump administration's assertions in court filings that the executive order would not curtail the independence of the agency, which was established to maintain the fairness of federal elections.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Some states seek to bar Jan. 6 rioters seeking office after pardons
May 28 (UPI) -- It has been four months since President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some of those pardoned have found opportunity in the political realm while states and local jurisdictions are considering whether to ban them from working in the government. In Florida, Jake Lang is running for the Senate seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lang was charged for assaulting officers, among other charges related to entering the Capitol and interfering with the certification of the election. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Lang's campaign has raised more than $28,000. Ryan Kelley, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, ran for the office after participating in the Capitol riot. In 2023, Kelley pleaded guilty after being charged for entering a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property in a restricted building and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States. Kelley has not ruled out another run for office. His campaign website is active and was updated on Jan. 22. It outlines his "Blueprint for Michigan" plan that proposes deregulation, energy plans and a program to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in government. Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, told UPI he is not surprised that people involved in the riot have been embraced politically or found their background to be potentially politically advantageous. "Some people have a very different vision of America and the country has a very complicated history," Neiheisel said. "The country has always had this kind of uneasy relationship with something like political violence because it is a nation that was born from a violent act, a revolution." Some state and local governments have taken steps to reckon with the aftermath of Jan. 6 and Trump's pardons. Days after the pardons were announced, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered that no one involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is to be hired by the state. Last month, the Chicago City Council followed suit, voting 44-3 on a resolution to reject applicants who were convicted of crimes related to the riot "regardless of clemency or pardon status." Three states have mulled similar measures. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced the Restrict Insurrectionists from Office Taking Act in the state senate to bar participants in the riot from serving in civil office. The legislation was introduced on the two-year anniversary of the riot. "Up to 47 New Yorkers were arrested and charged with their roles in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riots that left five people dead in the immediate aftermath, four subsequent deaths from suicide, and dozens of police officers injured," Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. "Our RIOT Act will bar anyone who's acted against the sanctity of our democracy from holding elected office and sends a strong message that violence is incompatible with government service. We must continue to safeguard our democracy from the extremists attempting to destroy it. " The bill passed the state senate nearly a year ago but has not been passed by the other chamber. Connecticut took up a similar bill during its 2023 session, barring those who were involved in the riot from being elected to office or from being employed by the state or any municipality. It has not been passed and no action has been taken since April 2023. A bill was filed in Virginia in 2023 but was never brought to a vote. It has been left in committee and is not expected to move forward. "It's still going to be a flashpoint," Neiheisel said of Jan. 6. "You're still going to have Democrats talking about how, 'Look, here's evidence that the Republican Party is anti-democratic.' You're still going to have Republicans saying that it was necessary. There are still Republicans who believe the 2020 election was stolen." "It's not always clear, of course, what that tipping point is where you have a legitimate claim to political violence versus you're just doing it for your own, narrow, personal end," he continued. "That's a legacy that's with us to this day and there are probably more people now than there have been in some time who want to embrace parts of that legacy." Pardoned rioters are being tapped to appear at political events tied to Republican organizations. Special appearances and speaking engagements emphasize the political capital that Jan. 6 has generated among the Republican Party. Jeffrey Scott Brown of Laguna Woods, Calif., was among the first convicted for attacking police officers. In 2022, he was convicted of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. In March, Brown was invited to speak at an event hosted by a local Republican club. James Grant of Cary, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months under supervised release after being convicted of civil disorder. He was also invited to speak at a Republican event in March. "The whole event [Jan. 6] was a strange happening in the sense that there were just so many different ideological persuasions there," Neiheisel said. "If you look at the flags, you look at the symbols, you've got people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together, thinking that is a good idea. They all kind of came together on this course of action from very different places. Some are QAnon conspiracists -- others were some kind of more religiously motivated. There was the presence of some charismatics. It's a hodgepodge of a lot of different things on the American right that came together at one point."
Miami Herald
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Some states seek to bar Jan. 6 rioters seeking office after pardons
May 28 (UPI) -- It has been four months since President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some of those pardoned have found opportunity in the political realm while states and local jurisdictions are considering whether to ban them from working in the government. In Florida, Jake Lang is running for the Senate seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lang was charged for assaulting officers, among other charges related to entering the Capitol and interfering with the certification of the election. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Lang's campaign has raised more than $28,000. Ryan Kelley, a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, ran for the office after participating in the Capitol riot. In 2023, Kelley pleaded guilty after being charged for entering a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property in a restricted building and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States. Kelley has not ruled out another run for office. His campaign website is active and was updated on Jan. 22. It outlines his "Blueprint for Michigan" plan that proposes deregulation, energy plans and a program to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in government. Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, told UPI he is not surprised that people involved in the riot have been embraced politically or found their background to be potentially politically advantageous. "Some people have a very different vision of America and the country has a very complicated history," Neiheisel said. "The country has always had this kind of uneasy relationship with something like political violence because it is a nation that was born from a violent act, a revolution." Some state and local governments have taken steps to reckon with the aftermath of Jan. 6 and Trump's pardons. Days after the pardons were announced, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered that no one involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is to be hired by the state. Last month, the Chicago City Council followed suit, voting 44-3 on a resolution to reject applicants who were convicted of crimes related to the riot "regardless of clemency or pardon status." Three states have mulled similar measures. New York Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced the Restrict Insurrectionists from Office Taking Act in the state senate to bar participants in the riot from serving in civil office. The legislation was introduced on the two-year anniversary of the riot. "Up to 47 New Yorkers were arrested and charged with their roles in the January 6 U.S. Capitol riots that left five people dead in the immediate aftermath, four subsequent deaths from suicide, and dozens of police officers injured," Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. "Our RIOT Act will bar anyone who's acted against the sanctity of our democracy from holding elected office and sends a strong message that violence is incompatible with government service. We must continue to safeguard our democracy from the extremists attempting to destroy it. " The bill passed the state senate nearly a year ago but has not been passed by the other chamber. Connecticut took up a similar bill during its 2023 session, barring those who were involved in the riot from being elected to office or from being employed by the state or any municipality. It has not been passed and no action has been taken since April 2023. A bill was filed in Virginia in 2023 but was never brought to a vote. It has been left in committee and is not expected to move forward. "It's still going to be a flashpoint," Neiheisel said of Jan. 6. "You're still going to have Democrats talking about how, 'Look, here's evidence that the Republican Party is anti-democratic.' You're still going to have Republicans saying that it was necessary. There are still Republicans who believe the 2020 election was stolen." "It's not always clear, of course, what that tipping point is where you have a legitimate claim to political violence versus you're just doing it for your own, narrow, personal end," he continued. "That's a legacy that's with us to this day and there are probably more people now than there have been in some time who want to embrace parts of that legacy." Pardoned rioters are being tapped to appear at political events tied to Republican organizations. Special appearances and speaking engagements emphasize the political capital that Jan. 6 has generated among the Republican Party. Jeffrey Scott Brown of Laguna Woods, Calif., was among the first convicted for attacking police officers. In 2022, he was convicted of felony assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. In March, Brown was invited to speak at an event hosted by a local Republican club. James Grant of Cary, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months under supervised release after being convicted of civil disorder. He was also invited to speak at a Republican event in March. "The whole event [Jan. 6] was a strange happening in the sense that there were just so many different ideological persuasions there," Neiheisel said. "If you look at the flags, you look at the symbols, you've got people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together, thinking that is a good idea. They all kind of came together on this course of action from very different places. Some are QAnon conspiracists -- others were some kind of more religiously motivated. There was the presence of some charismatics. It's a hodgepodge of a lot of different things on the American right that came together at one point." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
