Public records show no evidence Rep. Braun reported $250K in additional loans at pivotal moment in primary, depriving Hoosiers of crucial financial information
INDIANAPOLIS – News outlets across Indiana highlighted the ethics complaint filed by the Indiana Democratic Party yesterday against Rep. Braun for allegedly violating campaign finance laws.
In a complaint sent to the FEC yesterday, IDP Chairman John Zody alleged that Rep. Braun broke campaign finance laws by failing to file a legally required 48-hour notice report after loaning his campaign an additional $250,000 on April 23, two weeks before the contentious GOP Senate primary election. Even today, publicly available FEC documents still don’t show a legally required 48-hour notice filed by Rep. Braun for the $250K he loaned himself.
From the Indianapolis Business Journal: Indiana Democrats file federal election complaint against Braun
The Indiana Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission that accuses Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun of violating campaign finance laws.
According to the complaint filed Wednesday, Braun loaned his campaign $250,000 on April 23, but failed to file a 48-hour notice with the FEC.
Federal candidates are required to report any contribution of $1,000 or more when it is received less than 20 days but more than 48 hours before the election. That requirement applies to contributions from the candidate, joint fundraisers the candidate is involved in and loans from the candidate, non-bank sources or banks. The primary election was May 8.
…Violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act are typically settled through fines, according to the FEC, although knowing and willful violations of certain laws can lead to imprisonment.
From the Journal Gazette: Democrats file complaint against Mike Braun
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party filed a complaint Wednesday accusing Republican Senate nominee Mike Braun of hiding $250,000 in additional loans during the final days of the GOP Senate primary.
…Braun loaned his campaign $250,000 on April 23 – about two weeks before the May primary.
Under federal campaign finance laws, campaigns are required to report all contributions of $1,000 or more within a 48-hour window if the contributions come in the last 20 days of the race.
But Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody said Braun failed to do so for the $250,000 transaction even though he did file the 48-hour notice on other contributions.
…Democrats claim that Braun’s strategy was to hide the last-minute money from his GOP opponents, who could have tweaked their own efforts.
From Indiana Public Media: Indiana Democrats File Ethics Complaint Against Braun
The Indiana Democratic Party Wednesday filed an ethics complaint against Republican Senate candidate Mike Braun – days after Republicans filed one against U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Braun’s opponent.
The complaint alleges Braun didn’t properly file information about a loan he made to his campaign.
Campaign finance law says candidates must report loans of more than $1,000 to the Federal Election Commission within 48 hours. The Indiana Democratic Party says one such loan – $250,000 Mike Braun gave to himself in late April – wasn’t filed within that window.
From the Statehouse File: Democrats Accuse Braun Campaign of Violating Campaign Finance Laws
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A complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday accuses Braun of failing to report a $250,000 loan that he made to his own Senate campaign before the May primary within the required 48 hours of the receipt of the money.
……That donation is not available on the FEC website. A separate $386,000 loan that Braun made to his campaign on April 23 shows up as being reported on Form 6 within the required 48-hour timeframe.
Michael Feldman, spokesperson for the Indiana Democratic Party, said what matters is the documentation that appears on the FEC website.
“No public record shows that Rep. Braun reported this loan as the law required. It remains clear that Congressmen Rokita and Messer, as well as Hoosier voters, weren’t aware that he made this loan in the critical weeks before the primary,” Feldman said.
From WPTA:
From WXIN:
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