Donald Trump accused of violating campaign law by not declaring 2024 run
A Democrat-aligned fundraising committee has filed a formal complaint against Donald Trump, accusing him of illegally spending political donations on his 2024 presidential campaign without actually being registered as a candidate.
American Bridge, a Democratic Party political action committee (PAC), said on Monday that it filed a complaint to the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging the one-time president was spending money from his PAC on events for himself when he has not officially stated whether he will be running for president again in 2024.
‘Trump is illegally funding his 2024 presidential campaign without formally announcing his candidacy,’ American Bridge told The New York Times.
‘We’re holding him accountable for dodging the law.’
American Bridge claims that Trump has raised and spent over $5,000 in funds related to ‘advancing his own presidential campaign,’ which is against federal campaign laws. In the US, election laws require that anyone who raises or spends over $5,000 on things that could ‘influence his election’ to register with the FEC.
The Democrat PAC is arguing that Trump has effectively been raising and spending money on a future presidential campaign through his own PAC without acknowledging whether he is running.
The complain quoted Trump, who said during a meeting with police officers on the 20th anniversary of 9/11: ‘I know what I’m going to do, but we’re not supposed to be talking about it yet from the standpoint of campaign finance laws.’
The complaint also quotes several other occassions where the former president hinted at a potential run for president in 2024.
One instance highlighted by American Bridge occurred last month, when Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference and mentioned ‘doing it again a third time,’ when talking about campaigning. At the same event he also referred to his wife Melania as the ‘future first lady,’ according to the complaint.
The former president’s network of fundraising groups reportedly began the year with a war chest of about $122m, more than that of the Republican Party.
Trump’s spokesman Taylor Budowich has hit back at the complaint, telling the Times, ‘America is spiraling into disaster because of the Democrats’ failures, and instead of reversing course, they are busy filing frivolous complaints that have zero merit.’
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