Pocan Demands Investigation into Kushner Shell Company Campaign Finance Violations

MADISON, WI—Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI) sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr and Federal Election Commission Chair James Trainor III requesting an immediate investigation into Jared Kushner’s failure to disclose political receipts and expenditures for his shell company, American Made Media Consultants (AMMC), which spent $617 million in campaign money in support of President Trump’s reelection efforts this election cycle.

According to recent reporting, in April 2018 Jared Kushner helped create AMMC, and in 2019 the Trump campaign funneled over $600 million to the shell company which it spent on the President’s reelection campaign. AMMC also appointed Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump as its president, Vice President Mike Pence‘s nephew John Pence as its vice president, and the Trump campaign’s Chief Financial Officer Sean Dollman as its treasurer and secretary.

According to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, failure by a political committee—any group of people who spend more than $1000 to influence a federal election—to report expenditures can lead to a civil penalty, which in this case could be more than $1 billion, as well as criminal violations punishable by up to five years in prison.

“The law is clear—Jared Kushner openly violated campaign finance law and must be held accountable,” said Congressman Pocan. “As this President continues to pardon members of his criminal enterprise, we cannot allow hundreds of millions of dollars to go unaccounted for this election cycle. This President and his family of advisors are attempting to skirt political finance laws and make one last profit while occupying the White House. These grifters must be investigated immediately.”

See the full letter below and here.

 

December 23, 2020

The Hon. William Barr
Attorney General
U.S. Dept. of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20530

The Hon. James E. Trainor, III
Chair
Federal Election Commission
1050 First St., NE
Washington, DC 20463

 

Dear Attorney General Barr and FEC Chair Trainor:

I write to request an immediate investigation into the allegations published this past Friday by Business Insider’s Tom LoBianco and Dave Levinthal in their story “Jared Kushner Helped Create a Trump Campaign Shell Company that Secretly Paid the President’s Family Members and Spent $617 Million in Reelection Cash.”[1]  If true, such acts are clear violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.) and punishable by up to five years  imprisonment and more than one billion dollars in fines.

52 U.S.C. 30101(4) states that a “political committee” is “any…group of persons…which makes expenditures aggregating in excess of $1,000 during a calendar year”.  52 U.S.C. 30101(9)(A)(i) states that an “expenditure” is “any purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit, or gift of money or anything of value, made by any person for the purpose of influencing any election for Federal office”.

According to Business Insider, Mr. Kushner’s shell company American Made Media Consultants “spent almost half of the Trump campaign’s $1.26 billion war chest” yet there are no filings from the organization currently on record with the Federal Election Commission. American Made Media Consultants is most certainly a group of persons – reportedly its first president in 2018 was President Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, its first vice president was Vice President Pence’s nephew John Pence, and its first treasurer and secretary was the Chief Financial Officer of the Trump campaign, Sean Dollman – who spent more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing an election, therefore they are a “political committee” under the law. As such, pursuant to 52 U.S.C. 30104, they are required to regularly “file reports of receipts and disbursements” in the manner prescribed therein. To date, none of the reports required by law have been filed.

Failing to report political expenditures, according to 52 U.S.C. 30109(a)(5)(B), can lead to a “civil penalty…equal to 200 percent of any contribution or expenditure involved in such violation”.  If Mr. Kushner’s American Made Media Consultants did in fact spend $617 million as reported, he and his associates – which include additional Trump family members as well as the Vice President’s nephew – could face penalties amounting to more than one billion dollars.  Additionally, pursuant to 52 U.S.C. 30109(d)(1)(a)(i), they could also face imprisonment for up to five years: “Any person who knowingly and willfully commits a violation of any provision of this Act which involves the making, receiving, or reporting of any contribution, donation, or expenditure aggregating $25,000 or more during a calendar year shall be fined under title 18, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.”

The law here is clear.  I hope you will both investigate these allegations immediately and bring criminal charges if appropriate.

Sincerely,

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.