North Carolina election board investigates Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC after voter data complaint
From CNBC:
The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office is investigating America PAC, a PAC set up by Elon Musk to support former President Trump’s campaign. Under North Carolina law, it is illegal for an organization to claim to be submitting a voter registration form on behalf of a person, and then not do so. A report by CNBC found that America PAC’s website asks users for personal location data under the pretext of helping them register to vote, but only sends them to their state’s voter registration page if they are in a non-competitive state. Voters in battleground states are asked for detailed personal information and then provided with a “thank you” page, and are not registered to vote.
Democratic dark money fuels ‘nonpartisan’ climate group behind swing state ads
From the Washington Examiner:
The group “Science Moms” bills itself as a nonpartisan grassroots group working against climate change, and is spending $2.5 million on ad campaigns in swing states until September 30th. The group, however, is linked to the sprawling network of liberal dark money groups. Science Moms is part of the Potential Energy Coalition, which is itself connected to a group called the Windward Fund, which is funded by billionaires such as George Soros, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, who donate to support liberal causes and candidates. The Windward Fund is itself connected to Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm that manages a significant portion of Democratic dark money groups.
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
From the New York Times:
Only a few weeks after President Biden dropped out of the presidential race, major Wall Street donors are already working to secure a favorable position with a potential Harris administration. Many are publicly calling for their preferred policies and appointments, particularly at the Federal Trade Commission. Many strategists are concerned about this public approach to lobbying, preferring a back-room strategy in which donors and lobbyists push their preferred views in private, away from public scrutiny. As one political consultant put it: “I’ve always felt once you make these things public, it makes it harder for politicians to do.”
Pro-crypto super PACs pouring tens of millions into 2024 elections
From OpenSecrets:
The crypto industry continues to push for greater influence in the 2024 election. Although many crypto backers see an ally in vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, who owns up to $250,000 in bitcoin, crypto-backed Super PACs are spending on both sides of the aisle. While Fairshake PAC has spent over $12 million, mostly attacking Democrats in primary elections to boost crypto-friendly candidates, Defend American Jobs has spent over $17 million supporting Republicans, and Protect Progress has spent over $13 million backing Democrats. In total, the 3 PACs have over $127 million cash-on-hand going into the general election.
Influencer gives Trump a Tesla, a Rolex … and a campaign finance violation?
From The Guardian:
Former President Trump recently sat down for an interview with popular influencer and livestreamer Adin Ross, on the streaming platform Kick. As part of the event, Ross gifted Trump a Rolex watch and a custom Tesla Cybertruck, emblazoned with an image of Trump immediately after the failed assassination attempt against him. Rolex watches start at $5,000, and Cybertrucks can go for as much as $100,000. Both could present legal issues if they’re considered campaign contributions (the legal limit for individual donations to a candidate is $3,300), so the Trump campaign has said it will seek advice from the Federal Election Commission on how to handle the gifts.
