ICYMI: Washington Post: Democratic Super PAC Files FEC Complaint Against Musk-Linked Group
WASHINGTON, D.C. – ICYMI, Priorities USA Action yesterday filed an FEC complaint against America PAC for running ads on Facebook, YouTube, and X that consist almost entirely of repurposed Trump campaign material. America PAC has so far reported $1,585,935.48 in independent expenditures on these ads.
Under Section 109.23 of Title 11, PACs cannot distribute or republish a campaign’s materials in their own political ads supporting that candidate except for use of a “brief quote.”
Washington Post: Democratic Super PAC Files FEC Complaint Against Musk-Linked Group
A top Democratic super PAC has filed a campaign finance complaint against a rival super PAC linked to Elon Musk, arguing that the group has improperly republished campaign materials from former president Donald Trump.
The Democratic super PAC, Priorities USA Action, argues that the Musk-backed America PAC has run digital ads that repackage video of Trump and amount to an illegal contribution to his campaign. One example they cite is an America PAC ad mostly comprised of a 25-second video that Trump released in May urging people to make a plan to vote. There are exceptions for the republishing of such video, the complaint argues, but America PAC does not meet them.
“The new Elon Musk-backed PAC is breaking campaign finance rules to promote Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda to voters,” Priorities USA Action’s executive director, Danielle Butterfield, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for America PAC did not respond to a request for comment.
America PAC was formed in May and has since spent over $20 million boosting Trump, mostly on canvassing and field operations, according to Federal Election Commission records. The group’s first donor disclosure, released earlier this month, showed large donations from prominent tech industry figures, including associates of Musk, the Tesla CEO.
In a media appearance Monday, Musk said he “created” America PAC but denied a Wall Street Journal report that he was planning to give $45 million a month to the group. He said America PAC is “not meant to be a sort of hyper-partisan PAC” and instead meant to “promote the principles that made America great in the first place.”
Musk endorsed Trump shortly after the assassination attempt against Trump earlier this month, and President Biden’s reelection campaign was growing increasingly critical of Musk before Biden ended his reelection bid Sunday. In a fundraising email last week, Biden’s campaign accused Musk of “using his vast fortune to try to control our democracy.”
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