CREW requests documents on illegal $1.7 million donation funneled to the GOP

The Federal Election Commission found that an anonymous individual laundered $1.7 million through a Delaware-based LLC, then through the American Conservative Union (ACU) and finally to the Now or Never PAC to promote GOP candidates in the 2012 election. This meant that the true identity of the donor was not properly disclosed by Now or Never, which only said that they got the money from the ACU. In the case with the FEC, Doe vs. FEC, the identities of the  parties behind the original donation were retracted, identified only as Doe 1 and Doe 2. It is unclear if one or both of these individuals was the original donor, or another link in the chain the $1.7 million was funneled through. Since the donation was made under the disclosure provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the donor has no right to privacy.

CREW requested records relating to the Matter Under Review (MUR) with the FEC and ACU, which resulted in a $350,000 fine. CREW also requested any records related to Doe vs. FEC–the Does’ lawsuit to keep their names private–and any correspondence between Doe 1, Doe 2, and the FEC.

The requested records would shed light on how the case and MUR were decided. It would also help the public to understand whether Doe 1 and Doe 2 merely passed the funds along to the Now or Never PAC, or whether they were the original donor.