Kobach's U.S. Senate campaign, We Build the Wall hit by $30,000 fine for campaign law violations

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Kansas Reflector

Kobach’s treasurer from 2020 campaign sent $5,060 check to FEC
BY: TIM CARPENTER - DECEMBER 31, 2022 1:50 AM



Attorney General-elect Kris Kobach’s 2020 campaign for U.S. Senate and the organization We Build the Wall were fined $30,000 by the Federal Elections Commission for violations of federal campaign finance law. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)



TOPEKA — Attorney General-elect Kris Kobach’s campaign for U.S. Senate in 2020 violated federal election law by accepting and failing to report an in-kind corporate donation in the form of under-market rental of the We Build the Wall’s 295,000-person donor list.

The Federal Election Commission accepted settlement of complaints filed in 2019 by the Campaign Legal Center and Common Cause. The resolution endorsed by the FEC required We Build the Wall and the Kobach for Senate committee to pay a $30,000 civil penalty. On Dec. 6, Kobach for Senate campaign treasurer Elizabeth Curtis sent the FEC a check for $5,060 toward the fine. It’s not clear if Kobach’s campaign owes more.

The FEC agreed We Build the Wall also broke campaign finance law by making an in-kind contribution to Kobach by undervaluing its donor list. It was made available to Kobach at a bargain-basement price of $2,000 despite evidence the actual value was significantly greater.

. . .

Here is an excerpt of Kobach’s pitch: “I was excited to welcome dozens of conservative leaders and media influencers like Donald Trump Jr., Michelle Malkin, Candace Owens and Congressman Louie Gohmert to the wall that we were only able to build because of your generous support. Our work to secure our border and protect the constitution is far from over. As you may have heard, I’ve decided to run for the United States Senate in 2020. I’m working hard to earn the support I need to win and, frankly, I need to get you on my team.”

Read more: https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/31/kobachs-u-s-senate-campaign-we-build-the-wall-hit-by-30000-fine-for-campaign-law-violations/

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Sometimes it seems neither of these sociopaths will ever go away.

[TigressDem]

1. CAPTION: This guy. Learning the Art of the Grift like a champion. A real contender.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Note that "We Build the Wall" has criminal indictments going in NY state

in particular, Steve Bannon.

Steve Bannon charged with money laundering, conspiracy in ‘We Build the Wall’ fundraising fraud case

The former Trump strategist pleaded not guilty after he was arraigned on the six-count indictment Thursday afternoon.

Sept. 8, 2022, 10:04 AM EDT / Updated Sept. 8, 2022, 3:00 PM EDT
By Dareh Gregorian and Tom Winter


Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was charged Thursday in New York with defrauding donors who were giving money to build a wall at the southern U.S. border.

Bannon, 68, was indicted on charges including money laundering, scheming to defraud, and conspiracy in what prosecutors described as a yearlong scheme. He pleaded not guilty in a brief arraignment before acting Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan and agreed to surrender his passports as a condition of his bail. Supreme Court is the name of New York’s principal criminal court.

“He’s not going anywhere. He intends to fight these charges all the way,” Bannon's attorney David Schoen told the judge.

The six-count indictment also names the group WeBuildTheWall.Inc, which it says worked with Bannon on the scheme in 2019. Bannon was chair of the "advisory board" for the group, which prosecutors say duped thousands of donors by maintaining that all the money raised would go to build a wall along the southern border and not to the people running the effort.

(snip)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/former-trump-adviser-steve-bannon-turns-new-york-state-charges-rcna46662

And this is despite his pardon from federal charges thanks to NY passing a law to get rid of the "double-jeopardy" for those who were pardoned by 45.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. FEC Tiger has baby teeth. Once in a while it does useless shit like this to collect the salaries.

FEC neutering is a large part of the reason democracy is under threat, it wa supposed to be one of many guardrails.

That can’t also be fixed, apparently, cause if it was done by a law, it can’t be undone?

[deminks]

4. Kobach was board member and chief counsul for We Build the Wall.

Only resigned in September 2022 when indictments for Bannon and others started coming down and he was running for Atty Gen in Kansas. He won, BTW, like a bad penny. Great start to the Kansas GZP clown car.

Koch's will write a check, and it will all be forgotten in a month.

[mopinko]

5. until these crimes result in being stripped of office, nothing will change.

teeth. the laws need real teeth.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Nothing ever happens to these people.

Why don’t we have real laws with serious consequences? I know, I know. Rhetorical question.

[Grins]

7. $30K? Peanuts.

Petty cash.

Where's the disincentive? Where are the teeth?

[Scruffy1]

9. I think this "sucker list" is worth over $200 per thousand names.

I can't think of a better one for raising money. The people on the have been proven to be both gullible and have some power to donate. So, you $60,000 dollar item for $2000 and have to pay a fine of $30,000. Sounds like a good deal to me.

[Mr.Bill]

10. It's probably a line item in their campaign budget. n/t

[Maxheader]

8. Already an embarrassment

for Kansas.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. This makes me smile