INDIANAPOLIS – Rep. Braun’s failure to file his personal financial disclosure form (PFD) by the legally required deadline has forced Hoosiers to wonder whether it’s one more thing his campaign has tried to hide from Hoosiers.

The Senate Ethics Committee requires all 2018 Senate candidates to file their initial financial disclosure forms by May 15. But yesterday, the National Journal reported that Rep. Braun still has yet to file his PFD, and his campaign ignored questions about its status. Failing to hit a well-known public deadline would be concerning for any campaign. It’s especially worrisome, however, for a candidate who used his personal finances to fund his primary campaign, and whose income sources have landed him in hot water again and again.

It’s unclear why Rep. Braun has failed to file his PFD, but it wouldn’t be surprising were it part of a disconcerting trend from his campaign trying to hide unflattering truths from Hoosiers. From claiming not to know where his own company’s products were made, to hiding his long-standing affiliation as a Democrat until he was called on it by the AP, as well as his campaign’s collection of potentially fraudulent ballot signatures, the PFD delay could be one more instance of Rep. Braun’s repeated attempts to try to obscure the facts when he knows Hoosiers won’t like the answer.

“After funding his campaign with his personal wealth, Hoosiers need to know what’s in Rep. Braun’s PFD if they’re to believe in his campaign’s integrity, yet once again it appears that he has decided the truth is too big of a risk to show Hoosiers,” said Michael Feldman, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Rep. Braun hasn’t just failed to meet a legally required deadline, he’s eroding the trust Hoosiers have in him with each passing day as voters wonder what he’s hiding from them this time.”

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