Wisconsin Ethics Commission Recommends Felony Charges Against Trump Joint Fundraising Committee for Circumventing State Campaign Finance Laws

The bipartisan Wisconsin Ethics Commission has recommended that prosecutors pursue felony charges against a joint fundraising committee allied with former President Donald Trump for allegedly circumventing state campaign finance laws in an attempt to oust a powerful Wisconsin Republican leader in the 2022 primary elections. This investigation adds to the legal issues facing those in Trump’s orbit ahead of the November general election.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, Save America PAC, alongside several Wisconsin state and local GOP officials, devised a plan to evade the $1,000 limit on individual donations to state assembly candidates by taking advantage of a state law that places no limit on donations political parties make to candidates.

Save America PAC donated $5,000 each to the Republican Party organizations in Chippewa, Florence, and Langlade counties during the primary. The total sum, along with donations from others exceeding $40,000, was eventually transferred to the Langlade County GOP to provide in-kind donations to help the campaign of Adam Steen, who was challenging powerful Wisconsin House Speaker Robin Vos in a contentious primary challenge.

Vos, the longest-serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin history, has been targeted by Trump and his allies since 2020 for not removing the state’s head election official and for his rebuff of Trump’s false claims of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Steen, who supported Trump’s claims, primaried Vos with Trump’s endorsement. Vos beat Steen in the primary by just 260 votes and went on to win the general election race with 73% of the votes.

Vos is also currently the subject of a recall petition in Wisconsin by Trump allies.

The commission did not recommend charges against anyone specifically in Save America PAC, but it alleges that the committee and “agents” working for it violated state finance laws. Save America PAC is the primary fundraising mechanism for Trump’s reelection bid, raising money for both the campaign and his leadership PAC. Currently, Save America is financing Trump’s legal bills and investigation-related costs stemming from the 91 felony charges against him, as well as multiple civil lawsuits.

The commission is also investigating a $4,000 donation by election conspiracy proponent Mike Lindell to a local GOP party group, but decided against referring charges against the MyPillow CEO, stating they could not prove he intended to get Steen elected.

The ethics investigation is not a criminal inquiry. However, if members of Save America or the local GOP parties are charged with campaign finance violations and found guilty, the penalty is up to 42 months in prison and fines up to $10,000. The local district attorneys must decide whether to prosecute those involved within 60 days of the referral, and if no action is taken, the commission can request the state’s Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, consider charging Save America and others.

The Trump campaign and Steen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The 2024 Presidential Election is heating up, with early voting already underway in some states. In South Carolina, the polls opened on February 23, 2024, for the Republican primary. Former President Trump held a campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on the same day, where he strongly supported In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Meanwhile, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley spoke during a campaign event in North Augusta, South Carolina, looking ahead to Michigan with her first TV ad. Rep. Ro Khanna met with Arab American leaders before the Michigan primary.

This investigation into the Trump joint fundraising committee in Wisconsin is just one of many legal issues facing the former president and his allies as they gear up for the 2024 Presidential Election. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

Sources:
– CBS News
– Wisconsin Ethics Commission
– The New York Times
– The Washington Post
– Politico
– The Hill
– The Associated Press

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal advice. The information provided in this article is based on publicly available sources and should not be taken as fact without further investigation. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CBS News or its affiliates.