The maximum contribution to a candidate in a primary is $2700, but the Hillary Victory Fund manages to take checks of up to $353,000 and spend most of that money on the Hillary campaign’s expenses in the contested primary.
There are transfers between the fund, the DNC, and 33 state parties, but most of the money ends up going to help Hillary in the primary.
Yet, during the first three months of the year, the $2 million transferred by the Hillary Victory Fund to various state party committees paled in comparison to the $9.5 million it transferred to Clinton’s campaign committee or the $3.5 million it transferred to the DNC. And the Hillary Victory Fund also spent $6.7 million on online ads that mostly looked like Clinton campaign ads, as well as $5.5 million on direct marketing. Both expenses seem intended at least in part to help Clinton build a small donor base, an area in which Sanders has far outpaced her.
www.politico.com/…
Before the 2014 McCutcheon vs. Federal Election Commision ruling (which is completely separate from the Citizen’s United ruling), there was a maximum of $74,600 that an individual could give political parties in a 2 year period. The Hillary campaign is probably the first campaign to raise more than $80,000 at once (at least in many decades).
And if that’s not bad enough, David Brock, who once slimed Anita Hill by calling her a “little bit nutty and a little bit slutty” runs 2 SuperPACs one of which directly coordinate with the Hillary campaign, and it coordinates with the other SuperPAC. They claim they can do so because they don’t run normal ads.
Under federal campaign finance laws, Clinton technically cannot coordinate with super PACs, like Priorities USA, which aren’t subject to contribution limits. But another super PAC called “Correct the Record” has asserted it’s permitted to coordinate with her campaign because its work is only online — and it’s received $1 million from Priorities USA. Clinton has also donated to Correct the Record. Campaign finance reports show her campaign has given over $280,000 worth of “research” to the super PAC.
www.ibtimes.com/...
Also during the first three months of the year, a pair of super PACs founded by Clinton ally David Brock that are supporting her campaign, American Bridge 21st Century and Correct the Record, combined to raise $4.7 million.
www.politico.com/…
This is not money spent against Republicans. It’s money spent against Bernie, who is limited to $2700 from a donor, and most of his money was from non maxed out donors, anyways.
Hillary using two different methods here to circumvent the $2700 maximum, to send money to 33 state parties that send it back, and to directly coordinate with a SuperPAC. Now, I could be wrong, but I don’t believe any Republican has ever done either of these. Why does Hillary have to be trailblazer on both of these fronts to get extra money in a primary? That money isn’t going to the general election, neither party has a nominee yet.