rebuilding am now gay
set up by manafort
barrack name came up in ukraine context 1019?
GEO GP
ERIC TRUMP?
https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/
extensive list superpacs
eg
Rebuilding America Now
Type: super PAC
This super PAC was started by California financier Tom Barrack, a Trump confidant and chairman of the president’s inaugural committee. It spent more than $21 million during the 2016 election attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton and boosting Trump, although it’s been mostly dormant since. Now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led the committee.
Tom Barrack, CEO of Colony Capital, takes the stage to speak during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 21, 2016. (AP/Mark J. Terrill)
The group’s past activity has caught Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s attention. Prosecutors note former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was “instrumental” in setting up Rebuilding America Now at the same time he was Trump’s campaign chairman, an apparent violation of federal law. (The super PAC also began paying Ken McKay, a former Trump campaign adviser, days after he left Trump’s campaign, seemingly violating the 90-day cooling-off-period rule.) The group also hired Manafort’s longtime associate, Laurance Gay, as chairman. During the 2016 cycle, the super PAC paid Gay $330,000 and McKay $295,000 for “political strategy consulting.”
A spokesman for McKay and Gay told Reuters they were Trump volunteers who didn’t “possess strategic information,” so they said the cooling-off-period rule didn’t apply.
In court filings, prosecutors say Manafort lied to investigators about a $125,000 wire transfer in 2017 to the super PAC in order to cover a debt, *The New York Times* reported. A federal judge ruled in February 2019 that despite agreeing to cooperate, Manafort lied to Mueller’s team during its Russian interference investigation. He will be sentenced in March.
In 2016, the super PAC accepted six-figure donations from megadonors such as Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, real estate developer Palmer and former WWE wrestling executive Linda McMahon, now Trump’s Small Business Administration administrator. It also took $100,000 from Anthony Scaramucci, later Trump’s communications director for one week; $200,000 from coal outfit Murray Energy and $225,000 from private prison operator GEO Corrections. (The nonpartisan watchdog Campaign Legal Center filed an FEC complaint accusing GEO of violating the federal contractor donation ban. The case is pending.)
“Although GEO Corrections Holdings Inc., the company that made the donation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GEO Group, it is a non-contracting legal entity and has no contracts with any governmental agency,” company spokesperson Pablo Paez told VICE News in a statement, saying the donations to Rebuilding America Now are “compliant with all applicable federal election laws.”
In 2018, Rebuilding America Now received $30,000 in donations, with $25,000 coming from Florida real estate developer E. Llwyd Ecclestone Jr.
From 2017 to 2018, Rebuilding America Now spent most of its $2 million on paying Gay ($775,000) and McCay ($210,000) for consulting fees. It also used its money to fund travel and high-priced dinners — at places such as The Trump International Hotel in Washington and BLT Prime in Washington. It reported no money during that time on overtly pro-Trump communications.
==
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https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/
At the outset of Donald Trump’s bid for the White House, he blasted super PACs on Twitter as “scams” and “unfair” and disavowed such outside help.
Then he changed his tune. By the end of his 2016 campaign, more than a hundred super PACs and similar groups had spent more than $72 million on his behalf, helping him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
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Trump’s army of organized support has expanded since then, with a dozen or so major nonprofits and super PACs pushing his policy platform and priming the public for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. Many of the groups feature former Trump staffers or campaign aides. Trump and his surrogates frequently appear at events hosted by some of the ventures.
Other pro-Trump groups, however, spent four, five or even six figures paying their own leaders and employees, filling the coffers of their consulting firms instead of spending money to boost Trump’s political future.
The Center for Public Integrity has this month analyzed the activities of each of these organizations. Read on to make sense of what political committees, super PACs and nonprofit groups are actively in orbit around Trump’s own 2020 re-election committee:
America First Action Inc.
Type: super PAC
A group of former Trump aides designed the super PAC America First Action and a nonprofit arm, America First Policies, to push Trump’s policy platform. Even Vice President Mike Pence traveled across the country to attend America First events and help raise money. Dallas investor Doug Deason and Roy Bailey, a partner at Giuliani Partners LLC, handled the finances for the two groups. Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., is the groups’ vice chairwoman. The super PAC collected $39 million from 2017 through 2018. It spent $29.2 million on political messages during that time, mostly attacking Democrats such as former Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana.
[Donald Trump Jr., and Kimberly Guilfoyle hold hands during a rally for Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James in Pontiac, Mich., on Oct. 17, 2018. (AP/Paul Sancya)]
America First Action attracted multimillion dollar contributions from real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer, philanthropist Cherna Moskowitz, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and Adelson’s wife, philanthropist Miriam Adelson. Trump last year awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors.
The group has also hired and paid firms associated with former Trump employees or backers. They include: Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway’s former firm, the Polling Company ($476,000); former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski’s firm, Green Monster Consulting ($75,000); former Milwaukee sheriff and Trump booster David A. Clarke’s firm, DAC Enterprises ($92,000); current Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and his firm Parscale Strategy LLC ($184,000); and Trump campaign aide Katrina Pierson’s Pierson Consulting Group ($60,000). The super PAC also paid former White House spokesman Sean Spicer’s firm RIGWIL LLC $46,000. Spicer is now the super PAC’s senior adviser and spokesman. Additionally, the group chose to frequent Trump properties, paying about $415,000 to the Trump International Hotel and restaurants inside.
America First Policies
Type: nonprofit
High turnover has plagued this nonprofit, which has chosen not to disclose its donors. Rebekah Mercer, daughter of conservative megadonor Robert Mercer, considered funding the group, but left for another nonprofit called Making America Great. At its outset in January 2017, this 501(c)(4) “social welfare” nonprofit hosted big names in Trump’s orbit. Among the co-founders and initial staffers:
Parscale, Trump’s current campaign manager
former deputy White House Chief of Staff Katie Walsh, who left to return to the Republican National Committee as a senior adviser
adviser Nick Ayers, who left to become Pence’s chief of staff
former Pence aide Marty Obst
Pierson, who is now a senior adviser for Trump’s 2020 campaign
Brad Parscale, campaign manager for President Donald Trump, waits for his arrival during a campaign rally for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at Houston Toyota Center on Oct. 22, 2018, in Houston. (AP/Evan Vucci)]
Trump’s former deputy campaign manager, Rick Gates, also co-founded the group. But he left in March 2017 and has since been indicted and has pleaded guilty, in a matter unrelated to America First Policies, to making a false statement to prosecutors and violating foreign lobbying laws.
The nonprofit and its sister super PAC were chaired by Thomas Hicks Jr., now co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Hicks was a national finance chairman for Trump’s 2016 campaign. The nonprofit’s 2017 board of directors includes Dallas financial executive Bailey, oil billionaire Harold Hamm and Douglas Ammerman, a retired partner at auditor KPMG LLP, according to the group’s latest tax filing. The nonprofit’s president is Brian Walsh, former president of conservative outside groups American Action Network and the Congressional Leadership Fund.
Walsh declined to speak with the Center for Public Integrity. Communications director Erin Montgomery said the group is “not prepared to share our 2020 plans publicly at this time.”
Because it’s a nonprofit, the organization isn’t required by law to disclose its donors. But a review of Internal Revenue Service filings indicate Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America gave America First Policies $2.5 million, tobacco company Reynolds America donated $1.4 million, Southern Company donated $1 million, CVS Health gave $500,000 and Dow Chemical gave $100,000. In total, the nonprofit raised $22.2 million in 2017.
The group paid for advertising, telephone calls and “grassroots advocacy” to support repealing the Affordable Care Act and boost Trump’s’ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, immigration reform and confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nonprofit’s 2017 tax filing shows it also paid $2.8 million to Parscale’s company for “media advocacy services” and $160,000 to Obst’s firm for “consulting.”
Committee to Defend the President
Type: hybrid super PAC
Formerly named “Stop Hillary PAC,” the Committee to Defend the President spent $3.4 million during the 2016 election on anti-Hillary Clinton ads, using messaging centered around the 2012 Benghazi attacks, in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya was killed. The group raised $6.9 million from 2015 to 2016, and $8.9 million during the 2018 election. It spent $4.4 million on Trump-positive messages. The super PAC also attacked Democrats such as failed Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in Tennessee and Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin. The group has $720,000 in the bank as of Dec. 31.
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“The Committee is focused on defending President Trump — and when necessary his allies in Congress and elsewhere, as it did to great effect in Tennessee last cycle where we spent over $1 million to elect Marsha Blackburn [to the U.S. Senate in Tennessee],” said Ted Harvey, the group’s chairman and a former Colorado state senator. “Our efforts will take whatever form makes the most sense at the time…”
In April 2018, the hybrid PAC sued the FEC, alleging the agency failed to act on a complaint the PAC filed against Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. The Committee to Defend the President charged that Clinton violated federal law by funneling $80 million in contributions through state parties. The case is pending.
Great America PAC
Type: hybrid super PAC
Great America PAC, which aims to re-elect Trump and pro-Trump candidates, probably won’t involve itself in the Democratic primary.
“We’re fine letting the Democrats publicly out-crazy one another for the next year before we tar whatever looney tune comes out of their ‘process,’” Great America PAC attorney Dan Backer said in an email.
Ed Rollins, President Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager, is chairman of this hybrid super PAC, formerly known as TrumPAC. The super PAC’s executive director, Brent Lowder, is also the president of Apex Strategy Group, which Great America PAC paid $492,429 in 2016 and $150,000 in 2018. Rollins received a total of $240,000 in 2017 and 2018 for “payroll and strategic consulting.”
Eric Beach, the finance chairman for Newt Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign, was a former co-chairman of Great America PAC. Beach is a managing partner at Frontline Strategies & Media, a public affairs firm that Great America PAC paid more than $5 million from 2015 to 2018, more than any other committee paid it during both cycles.
The committee raised close to $29 million during the 2016 election, spending almost $24 million of those funds on pro-Trump ads. From 2017 to 2018, the group spent $5.4 million to support Trump. It also spent a few hundred thousand dollars backing Republicans running in U.S. House and U.S. Senate races, including Roy Moore in Alabama. Its top donors from 2016 include Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac Perlmutter ($5 million), now-deceased Houston Texans owner Robert McNair ($2 million) and banker Andy Beal ($2 million). In 2018, megadonors such as Robert Mercer of Renaissance Technologies ($400,000) and Richard Uihlein of U-Line Corp ($100,000) topped its list of contributors.
Attorney Dan Backer (right) speaks with Shaun McCutcheon (left) at a Federal Election Commission meeting in February 2015. (Center for Public Integrity/Dave Levinthal)
“Our ability to be nimble and adapt is what made Great America PAC the largest pro-Trump group in 2016, and his biggest champion since,” Backer wrote.
The super PAC has been riddled with scandals.
In May 2016, Jesse Benton, a former leader of the group, was found guilty on campaign finance charges in connection with his 2012 work on Republican Ron Paul’s presidential campaign. A federal appeals court upheld the charges, which preceded Benton’s work with Great America PAC, in May 2018. Before that, The Telegraph published an investigation in which reporters posed as consultants for a Chinese national wanting to donate to pro-Trump groups, which is illegal. Benton allegedly said he was a consultant for Great America PAC and apparently offered the reporters a way to disguise the foreign donation to the group. Backer, the super PAC’s lawyer, denied the super PAC engaged in any activity of the sort. Benton left the group in May 2016.
Also in 2016, the super PAC mistakenly published donor information not normally made public, such as email addresses and cell phone numbers for hundreds of its backers. A month later, it erroneously published credit card numbers for 49 donors. The super PAC offered free security monitoring to the donors and said it changed its data collection and compliance processes.
Great America Alliance
Type: nonprofit
The nonprofit Great America Alliance shares staff and resources with its partner super PAC, Great America PAC. Tomi Lahren, the conservative political commentator, was a senior aide to the nonprofit before leaving it for a job at Fox News. Andy Surabian — a former Steve Bannon aide and war room director of Trump’s 2016 campaign — also was a senior adviser. The nonprofit reported it spent $1.5 million in 2017 to educate voters about health care, taxes, national security and trade. It spent $291,000 on political campaign activity, according to a filing with the IRS.
Tomi Lahren seen at Politicon 2016 at The Pasadena Convention Center on June 25, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. (Invision via AP/Colin Young-Wolff)
News reports from 2017 stated Gingrich and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani were in talks to become co-chairmen of Great American Alliance, but Backer, the group’s attorney, said that did not happen. The nonprofit’s 2017 tax filing lists Brent Lowder as president, Beach as executive director and Christina Needham, a senior associate attorney at political.law, founded by Backer, as director.
The 501(c)(4) “social welfare” nonprofit raised $3.5 million in 2017, according to the latest tax filing available. It also paid $955,000 that year to public affairs firm Frontline Strategies, which is owned by Eric Beach, a former director of the group now “retained to provide management services.” It also paid $369,000 to Campaign Solutions, the political consulting firm of the Committee to Defend the President’s Ted Harvey, and $123,000 to Apex Strategy Group, owned by the nonprofit’s president Brent Lowder.
Future45
Type: super PAC
Future45 is a super PAC heavily funded by the deep-pocketed Ricketts family, which owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Future45 brought in $6.3 million in 2018, including from other megadonors such as philanthropist Helen Schwab, Elliott Management Group’s Paul Singer and Citadel LLC’s Kenneth Griffin. The super PAC poured $5.8 million into 2018 midterm messaging attacks on Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
The group is led by Brian Baker, longtime political adviser to the Ricketts family.
“The Democrats tried to nationalize the midterms around Trump, and we tried to push back against that, and show the extreme elements in the Democratic Party,” Baker told the Center for Public Integrity. “Little did I imagine the conversation would stay the same but the characters would change. It used to be all about Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters but nowadays it’s all about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”
45Committee
Type: nonprofit
The super PAC Future45 also has a sister “social welfare” nonprofit, 45Committee, which raised about $48.6 million from 2015 to 2017, according to federal tax filings.
“In 2017 and 2018, we were one of the leading groups pushing the tax reform bill, and really fought the nomination fight for the high profile nominees like the Supreme Court or Secretary of State,” said Baker, the president. 45Committee has not publicly reported its donors and is under no legal obligation to do so. But other tax filings show it received grants from Wellspring Committee ($750,000), the Judicial Crisis Network ($250,000) and Ricketts-connected Ending Spending ($75,000). That’s only a fraction of what’s in its bank account: the nonprofit’s tax filings show it received four donations in 2017 that were each worth $7.5 million.
45Committee distributed its own grants in 2017 to the Mercer-funded Secure America Now ($2 million), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($350,000), Judicial Crisis Network ($200,000) and the NRA Institute for Legislative Action ($70,000), among others. The group reported spending $21.6 million on political campaigning and $18.9 million on issue ads.
45Committee’s latest tax filing shows Baker became chairman and president after conservative strategist Brian Walsh left the role in September 2016. CNBC contributor and former George W. Bush aide Sara Fagen is on the board of directors, as well as Randy Scheunemann, a lobbyist for foreign governments at Orion Strategies, and Rob Collins, a lobbyist and strategist who helped push Neil Gorsuch’s appointment to the Supreme Court.
Rebuilding America Now
Type: super PAC
This super PAC was started by California financier Tom Barrack, a Trump confidant and chairman of the president’s inaugural committee. It spent more than $21 million during the 2016 election attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton and boosting Trump, although it’s been mostly dormant since. Now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led the committee.
The group’s past activity has caught Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s attention. Prosecutors note former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was “instrumental” in setting up Rebuilding America Now at the same time he was Trump’s campaign chairman, an apparent violation of federal law. (The super PAC also began paying Ken McKay, a former Trump campaign adviser, days after he left Trump’s campaign, seemingly violating the 90-day cooling-off-period rule.) The group also hired Manafort’s longtime associate, Laurance Gay, as chairman. During the 2016 cycle, the super PAC paid Gay $330,000 and McKay $295,000 for “political strategy consulting.”
A spokesman for McKay and Gay told Reuters they were Trump volunteers who didn’t “possess strategic information,” so they said the cooling-off-period rule didn’t apply.
In court filings, prosecutors say Manafort lied to investigators about a $125,000 wire transfer in 2017 to the super PAC in order to cover a debt, The New York Times reported. A federal judge ruled in February 2019 that despite agreeing to cooperate, Manafort lied to Mueller’s team during its Russian interference investigation. He will be sentenced in March.
In 2016, the super PAC accepted six-figure donations from megadonors such as Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, real estate developer Palmer and former WWE wrestling executive Linda McMahon, now Trump’s Small Business Administration administrator. It also took $100,000 from Anthony Scaramucci, later Trump’s communications director for one week; $200,000 from coal outfit Murray Energy and $225,000 from private prison operator GEO Corrections. (The nonpartisan watchdog Campaign Legal Center filed an FEC complaint accusing GEO of violating the federal contractor donation ban. The case is pending.)
“Although GEO Corrections Holdings Inc., the company that made the donation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GEO Group, it is a non-contracting legal entity and has no contracts with any governmental agency,” company spokesperson Pablo Paez told VICE News in a statement, saying the donations to Rebuilding America Now are “compliant with all applicable federal election laws.”
In 2018, Rebuilding America Now received $30,000 in donations, with $25,000 coming from Florida real estate developer E. Llwyd Ecclestone Jr.
From 2017 to 2018, Rebuilding America Now spent most of its $2 million on paying Gay ($775,000) and McCay ($210,000) for consulting fees. It also used its money to fund travel and high-priced dinners — at places such as The Trump International Hotel in Washington and BLT Prime in Washington. It reported no money during that time on overtly pro-Trump communications.
Great America Committee
Type: leadership PAC
Great America Committee is the first leadership PAC that a vice president created while in office.
Pence formed Great America Committee — not to be confused with the two other pro-Trump groups starting with “Great America” — in May 2017 to help boost other Republicans. The move was so unusual that many believed Pence was setting himself up for his own presidential run. That didn’t happen — instead, Pence doled out $886,000 in 2018 to candidates such as Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. The leadership PAC also gave $5,400 to Trump’s presidential campaign.
In this March 15, 2016 file photo, Donald Trump’s then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (left) listens as Trump speaks in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP/Gerald Herbert, File)
The PAC raised $4.1 million in 2018. Since forming, it spent $70,000 for consulting services at Green Monster Consulting, the firm of Trump’s former campaign manager, Lewandowski. It also paid $332,000 to MO Strategies, the firm of Obst, Pence’s senior political adviser, who was also the senior adviser of pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policies and executive director at the Trump super PAC Great America Committee. The PAC paid the firm for “finance and political strategy consulting.”
America Fighting Back
Type: hybrid super PAC
“We must protect Donald Trump and his agenda from impeachment,” declares America Fighting Back, led by former 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.
Cain appears in an America Fighting Back ad in which he says Democrats’ “mission is to remake America and implement their socialist agenda.” The group asks viewers to call a 1-800 number to pledge their support for President Trump. The phone number directs a dialer to a recording of Cain bashing the “phony Russian delusion witch hunt.”
Businessman Herman Cain, who ran for president as a Republican in 2012, appears in an advertisement for his America Fighting Back PAC committee. (Screenshot)
Cain then asks callers to make a contribution. America Fighting Back, formed in July 2018, raised $347,000 during 2018, accepting donations from Citizens United founder and America Fighting Back co-chair Floyd Brown ($45,000) and the family trust of Edward Robson, a retirement community developer ($10,000). It reported spending $171,500 on pro-Trump messaging, although some of that messaging — such as Cain’s advertisement — serves the dual purpose of soliciting money for America Fighting Back itself.
The PAC’s executive director is Lori Klein Corbin, former Arizona state senator and national committeewoman for the state. Its chief strategist is Todd Cefaratti, a former 2012 campaign aide to Newt Gingrich.
Make America Number 1
Type: super PAC
Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Make America Number 1 has yet to make the splash it did in 2016. Previously a Ted Cruz-backing super PAC named Keep the Promise I, the group rebranded to Make America Number 1 and spent $4.4 million attacking Clinton. Before Citizens United Chairman David Bossie left in 2016 to work as Trump’s deputy campaign manager, he ran the super PAC. Megadonor Rebekah Mercer took over managing the group.
Robert Mercer with his wife Diana Mercer (right) and daughter Rebekah Mercer (left) at the 2014 World Science Festival Gala. (Sylvain Gaboury/PMC, ©Patrick McMullan)
It was primarily funded by Robert Mercer, Marcus and Clarium Capital’s Peter Thiel, as well as Erik Prince, brother of Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and the founder of the controversial security firm formerly known as Blackwater USA. The super PAC also paid $5.7 million to Cambridge Analytica, the now-defunct data firm that harvested Facebook users’ data without permission.
During the 2018 midterms, the super PAC raised only $807 in small donations, and spent $379,000 mostly on legal expenses and upkeep. The super PAC starts 2019 with $699,000 in the bank.
* * * * *
Other political groups and nonprofits that don’t primarily advocate for Trump have nevertheless been instrumental in advocating for his election. They include:
National Rifle Association
Type: nonprofits, PAC, super PAC
The National Rifle Association spent about $30.3 million to directly boost Trump during the 2016 presidential election, more than any other group that cycle.
The association may have gone a step further: An investigation by The Trace found that Trump’s campaign and the NRA used the same consultants to air TV ads, an apparent violation of the law that prohibits campaigns and outside groups from coordinating.
What’s more, federal investigators are exploring ties between NRA officials and the Russian government. Russian national Maria Butina pleaded guilty in December 2018 to conspiring to illegally act as a foreign agent. She admitted trying infiltrate the NRA and convince its members that Russia is a friend, not an enemy, to the U.S. The effort was apparently backed by at least one Russian official, Alexander Torshin, a former deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank. Russian President Vladimir Putin may have even approved the effort, according to a U.S. intelligence report reviewed by The Daily Beast. NRA officials did not respond to the Center for Public Integrity’s numerous requests for comment.
Citizens United
Type: nonprofit
The organization behind the pivotal campaign finance U.S. Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. FEC, Citizens United’s super PAC spent $182,000 on pro-Trump messages in 2016.
Donald Trump, left, reacts to the crowd as he shakes hands with co-host David Bossie at the Freedom Summit, Saturday, May 9, 2015, in Greenville, S.C. (AP/Rainier Ehrhardt)
People affiliated with the group have had a hand in other organizations backing Trump: Its president, Bossie, was Trump’s 2016 deputy campaign manager, while founder Brown is co-chairman of the super PAC America Fighting Back. Citizens United hasn’t reported any pro-Trump expenditures since he was elected.
“I am an outspoken supporter of this president and will help him in whatever way is most beneficial to his re-election,” Bossie told the Center for Public Integrity.
Committee to Restore America’s Greatness
Type: super PAC
Two months after Roger Stone exited the Trump presidential campaign, the notorious political operative formed a pro-Trump super PAC in October 2015.
The group stayed in business a little more than a year, raising $587,000 yet only spending $16,000 on pro-Trump billboards. The group’s largest donor was film and television producer John Powers Middleton.
https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876
huge 2016, almost nil 2018
2016
BERNARD ATLANTA, GA 30327 | RETIRED | 07/18/16 | $3,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
MARCUS, BERNARD ATLANTA, GA 30327 | RETIRED | 09/06/16 | $2,000,000 |
CAMERON, RONALD M NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 72114 | MOUNTAIRE CORPORATION | 08/09/16 | $2,000,000 |
MCMAHON, LINDA E STAMFORD, CT 06901 | EXECUTIVE | 08/04/16 | $2,000,000 |
PALMER, GEOFFREY H BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210 | G. H. PALMER ASSOCIATES | 06/03/16 | $2,000,000 |
PALMER, GEOFFREY H BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210 | G. H. PALMER ASSOCIATES | 06/03/16 | $2,000,000 |
MCMAHON, LINDA E STAMFORD, CT 06901 | EXECUTIVE | 09/22/16 | $1,000,000 |
MCMAHON, LINDA E STAMFORD, CT 06901 | EXECUTIVE | 08/15/16 | $1,000,000 |
MCMAHON, LINDA E STAMFORD, CT 06901 | EXECUTIVE | 08/08/16 | $1,000,000 |
MCMAHON, LINDA E STAMFORD, CT 06901 | EXECUTIVE | 08/02/16 | $1,000,000 |
PALMER, GEOFFREY H BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210 | G. H. PALMER ASSOCIATES | 10/20/16 | $1,000,000 |
FEINBERG, STEPHEN NEW YORK, NY 10065 | CERBERUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP | 11/03/16 | $975,000 |
FEINBERG, STEPHEN NEW YORK, NY 10065 | CERBERUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP | 09/26/16 | $500,000 |
BUCKLEY, WALTER W JR BEHTLEHEM, PA 18018 | BUCKLEY MUETHING CAPITAL MGMT. CO. | 09/16/16 | $500,000 |
ZIEVE, PETER B MUKILTEO, WA 98275 | ELECTROIMPACT | 08/26/16 | $500,000 |
BUCKLEY, WALTER W JR BEHTLEHEM, PA 18018 | BUCKLEY MUETHING CAPITAL MGMT. CO. | 08/23/16 | $500,000 |
ELLIOTT, BEVERLY B MOUNT JULIET, TN 37121 | RETIRED | 07/27/16 | $450,000 |
ZIEVE, PETER B MUKILTEO, WA 98275 | ELECTROIMPACT | 08/19/16 | $400,000 |
HAMILTON COMPANY RENO, NV 89502 | 07/25/16 | $300,000 | |
SMITH, BOYD C PALO ALTO, CA 94301 | WSJ PROPERTIES | 07/28/16 | $200,000 |
ANDERSON COLUMBIA CO INC LAKE CITY, FL 32055 | 08/16/16 | $150,000 | |
FRANK CALANDRA INC PITTSBURGH, PA 15238 | 07/29/16 | $150,000 | |
GEO CORRECTIONS HOLDINGS INC BOCA RATON, FL 33487 | 11/01/16 | $125,000 | |
ECCLESTONE, E LLWYD JR WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33402 | REAL ESTATE | 09/26/16 | $100,000 |
GEO CORRECTIONS HOLDINGS INC BOCA RATON, FL 33487 | 08/19/16 | $100,000 | |
SCARAMUCCI, ANTHONY NEW YORK, NY 10022 | SKYBRIDGE CAPITAL | 08/08/16 | $100,000 |
JR ACQUISITION LLC LEXINGTON, KY 40509 | 07/13/16 | $100,000 | |
ECCLESTONE, E LLWYD JR WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33402 | REAL ESTATE | 11/02/16 | $100,000 |
MURRAY ENERGY CORPORATION ST CLAIRSVILLE, OH 43950 | 06/29/16 | $100,000 | |
MURRAY ENERGY CORPORATION ST CLAIRSVILLE, OH 43950 | 06/29/16 | $100,000 | |
COLD HARBOR FILMS LTD ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 | 07/28/16 | $83,242 | |
SMITH, BOYD C PALO ALTO, CA 94301 | WSJ PROPERTIES | 09/19/16 | $75,000 |
SOUTHEAST QSR LLC CLEARWATER, FL 33756 | 10/07/16 | $50,000 | |
MOYER, KYLE G SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260 | CONSULTANT | 10/05/16 | $50,000 |
JOYCE, CHARLES P WELLSVILLE, NY 14895 | OTIS EASTERN SERVICE LLC | 10/03/16 | $50,000 |
OPPERMAN, JULIE CHRYSTYN LOS ANGELES, CA 90077 | PHILANTHROPY | 09/12/16 | $50,000 |
MOYER, KYLE G SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260 | CONSULTANT | 08/30/16 | $50,000 |
ZIEVE, PETER B MUKILTEO, WA 98275 | ELECTROIMPACT | 08/11/16 | $50,000 |
ZIEVE, PETER B MUKILTEO, WA 98275 | ELECTROIMPACT | 08/08/16 | $50,000 |
SOUTHEAST QSR, LLC CLEARWATER, FL 33756 | 06/28/16 | $50,000 | |
SOUTHEAST QSR LLC CLEARWATER, FL 33756 | 06/28/16 | $50,000 | |
ROSENTHAL, ROBERT BURBANK, CA 91505 | RETIRED | 09/30/16 | $25,000 |
RANGOS, JOHN G SR BOCA RATON, FL 33431 | RETIRED | 09/16/16 | $25,000 |
MOYER, KYLE G SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260 | CONSULTANT | 09/12/16 | $25,000 |
XLR8 LLC ATLANTA, GA 30305 | 09/07/16 | $25,000 | |
ROSENTHAL, ROBERT BURBANK, CA 91505 | RETIRED | 08/25/16 | $25,000 |
STOFIN CO INC WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401 | 08/19/16 | $25,000 | |
OKEELANTA CORPORATION SOUTH BAY, FL 33493 | 08/19/16 | $25,000 | |
GLC FARMS INC WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401 | 08/19/16 | $25,000 | |
AMERICAS EXPORT CORPORATION MIAMI, FL 33129 | 08/19/16 | $25,000 | |
AGRO-INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT INC WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401 | 08/19/16 | $25,000 | |
VECELLIO GROUP INC WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33411 | 08/11/16 | $25,000 | |
HUBBARD CONSTRUCTION COMPANY WINTER PARK, FL 32789 | 08/11/16 | $25,000 | |
PETWAY, THOMAS F III ATLANTIC BEACH, FL 32233 | PETWAY, THOMAS F III ATLANTIC BEACH, FL 32233 | PETWAY, THOMAS F III ATLANTIC BEACH, FL 32233 | PETWAY, THOMAS F III ATLANTIC BEACH, FL 32233 |
--
2016
expend
| administrative | Accountants, compliance & legal services | $320,374 |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative travel & lodging | $74,997 | $74,997 |
| Miscellaneous administrative | $17,943 | $17,943 |
| Administrative event expenses & food | $3,288 | $3,288 |
| Rent, utilities & office expenses | $1,436 | $1,436 |
| Fundraising | Fundraising consulting | $294,543 |
| Fundraising events | $5,112 | $5,112 |
| Fundraising data & technology | $510 | $510 |
| Fundraising mailings & calls | $251 | $251 |
| Media | Unspecified media buys | $17,780,620 |
| Broadcast ads | $2,499,999 | $2,499,999 |
| Media production | $565,620 | $565,620 |
| Web ads | $348,500 | $348,500 |
| Miscellaneous media | $174,617 | $174,617 |
| Strategy & Research | Campaign strategy & communications consulting | $2,018,158 |
| Campaign data & technology | $10,800 | $10,800 |
Top Vendors/Recipients
| Rank | Vendor/Recipient | Total Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multi Media Services | $20,280,619 |
| 2 | New Republican | $985,210 |
| 3 | Cold Harbor Films | $744,890 |
| 4 | NATIONAL MEDIA DIGITAL | $426,500 |
| 5 | Stick & Rudder Strategies | $333,505 |
| 6 | **Gay, Laurance** | $273,028 |
| 7 | McKay, Kenneth | $270,000 |
| 8 | Hale Westfall | $135,984 |
| 9 | Foley & Lardner | $133,390 |
| 10 | Ednexus Advisors | $128,175 |
| Total Receipts | $22,610,717 |
|---|---|
| Total Spent | $22,763,915 |
| Begin Cash on Hand | $0 |
| End Cash on Hand | $841,772 |
| Debts | $0 |
| Independent Expenditures | $21,194,739 |
| Date of last report | December 31, 2016 |
2016 PAC Contribution Data
| Contributions from this PAC to federal candidates (list recipients) | $0 |
|---|---|
| Contributions to this PAC from individual donors of $200 or more ( list donors) | $24,696,513 |
Official PAC Name:
REBUILDING AMERICA NOW
Location: ALEXANDRIA, VA 22313
Industry:Republican/ConservativeTreasurer: CALL, RYAN R
FEC Committee ID: C00618876
2020
| Total Receipts | $233,141 |
|---|---|
| Total Spent | $120,623 |
| Begin Cash on Hand | $29,917 |
| End Cash on Hand | $142,436 |
| Debts | $0 |
| Independent Expenditures | $0 |
| Date of last report | June 30, 2019 |
2020 PAC Contribution Data
| Contributions from this PAC to federal candidates (list recipients) | $0 |
|---|---|
| Contributions to this PAC from individual donors of $200 or more ( list donors) | $20,120 |
Official PAC Name:
REBUILDING AMERICA NOW
Location: ALEXANDRIA, VA 22313
Industry: Republican/Conservative
Treasurer: MARSTON, CHRIS
FEC Committee ID: C00618876
(Look up actual documents filed at the FEC)
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/eric-trump-fundraiser-228130
Eric Trump attends pro-Trump super PAC fundraiser
09/13/2016 08:42 PM EDT
One of Donald Trump’s sons, Eric Trump, attended and spoke at a fundraiser for a super PAC backing his father on Tuesday, the closest yet that Trump and his campaign have come to blessing one of the competing groups that have jockeyed for support among big donors.
The event was held at the World Bar of the Trump World Tower in Manhattan, not far from Trump’s 5th Avenue headquarters, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by POLITICO. Eric Trump is not listed as a speaker on that invitation, but he showed up and spoke briefly, according people familiar with the event. The fundraiser was for the Great America PAC, which has hired longtime Republican operative Ed Rollins as its top strategist. They showed attendees television ads that they planned to air with additional cash, including at least one that incorporated Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” remark from last week, according to a photo of the event.
Donald Trump initially attacked super PACs when he launched his campaign for president and vowed to run without their support — and he did so throughout the primary — but Trump has since changed his tune and tacitly accepted millions of dollars in supportive ads from two main super PACs during the general election, along with TV spending from the political arm of the National Rifle Association.
[
With softer tone, Trump touts child-care plan with Ivanka
By ELI STOKOLS]
Still, Trump’s refusal to bless a singular entity to collect unlimited-sized checks has been a cause of confusion and consternation among big donors.In addition to the Great America PAC, a second rival super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, is run by Ken McKay, a Republican operative who previously worked as an adviser to the Trump campaign. That group has aired the most in television ads so far.
Back during the Republican conventions, it had appeared that McKay’s group, which longtime Republican adman Alex Castellanos is also advising, had emerged as the preferred super PAC of the Trump campaign. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort called into a donor event the group was holding in Cleveland, which was widely viewed at the time as the campaign’s official blessing. Castellanos said at the time that they expected Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, to attend super PAC events to help raise money.
But Manafort soon lost traction inside the campaign and within a month he had resigned, leaving it unclear which of the two groups Trump’s team would rather receive big checks.
Among those listed on the Great America PAC invitation to the Tuesday event that Eric Trump attended are David Clarke, the Milwaukee County Sheriff who has endorsed Trump and spoke at the GOP convention, conservative radio hosts Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager and actor Jon Voight. Those four were part of a travelingbus tourthat had been organized by the super PAC.
Eric Beach, co-chair of the Great America PAC, declined to comment on the event other than to say, “We had a wonderful event today, but as a matter of policy I do not comment on specifics of private meetings.”
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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/10/paul-manafort-lawyer-mysterious-payment-hidden-chapter-of-trump-2016-campaign.html
Recent court filings are shedding new light on a mysterious $125,000 payment to lawyers for Paul Manafort, paid by a firm that has not been identified until now.
- The firm is called Multi Media Services Corporation, and its silent owner is Tony Fabrizio, a longtime Manafort associate and the chief pollster on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
- The route this money traveled, from its origin as a donation made to a pro-Trump political group, to its final destination in the bank account of Manafort’s attorney, offers a window into relationships Manafort built over decades. ...Recent court filings from special counsel Robert Mueller shed new light on a mysterious payment to lawyers for Paul Manafort, the onetime chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
The payment, for $125,000, was made in June 2017, halfway through Trump’s first year in office. But it wasn’t disclosed publicly until late last year, when prosecutors accused Manafort in court filings of repeatedly lying to them about where the money actually came from. Manafort was convicted in 2018 of tax evasion and bank fraud, and sentenced in Virginia on Thursday to 47 months in prison. He faces another sente... In the world of presidential campaign fundraising, where millions of dollars are often raised and spent in a matter of weeks, $125,000 can seem like a drop in the bucket.
But the route this money traveled, from its origin as a donation made to a pro-Trump political group, to its final destination in the bank account of Manafort’s attorney, offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of relationships Manafort built over 40 years in Republican politics.
These relationships have drawn fresh scrutiny in recent weeks. Both Manafort and another key figure in this story, Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, were among 81 individuals and entities that received formal document requests on Monday from the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating a broad range of potential presidential misdeeds.
The path taken by this $125,000 also highlights the ways that Manafort took advantage of the Trump campaign’s underdeveloped leadership structure to install his allies in top positions across the Trump political landscape.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the murky, loosely regulated world of super PACs and other political “dark money” groups,which are permitted to raise unlimited amounts of money from donors as long as they don’t “coordinate” directly with campaigns, a legal standard that leaves plenty of room for interpretation. In this world, Manafort’s longtime associates could hold key positions, and oversee the raising and spending of huge sums of money, often with little to no direct oversight.
One of these positions was leading a pro-Trump super PAC that Manafort helped to establish in June 2016 calledRebuilding America Now.
To run the group, Manafort tapped an old friend, Connecticut-based lobbyist Laurance “Laury” Gay. A former official in President Ronald Reagan’s administration, Gay went on to work at Manafort’s lobbying firm in the late 1980s. He is also the godfather to one of Manafort’s daughters.
With Manafort’s blessing and Gay at its helm, Rebuilding America Now raised more than $24 million between June and December 2016, more than any other pro-Trump super PAC did during the entire election.
According to the transcript from a Feb. 4 hearing in Manafort’s trial, prosecutors believe that in 2017, Rebuilding America Now under Gay’s leadership also played a central role in what they describe as a “scheme” to provide Manafort with “a way of getting cash” out of his time as the unpaid chairman of Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The payment
Manafort’s decision to take a volunteer job at the top of Trump’s presidential campaign drew national attention to his lobbying career. By the summer of 2017, Manafort was the target of multiple investigations into his personal finances, campaign work and foreign lobbying.
Faced with mounting legal bills, Manafort reached out to Gay in June of that year and asked him to arrange a $125,000 payment to Manafort’s lawyers, according to both prosecutors and Manafort’s defense attorneys. Rather than give Manafort the money himself, however, Gay called someone else.
“At the request of Paul Manafort, Laury [Gay] asked that funds be forwarded to an entity designated by Mr. Manafort to assist with his legal expenses,” said Anthony J. Iacullo, a criminal defense attorney who represents Gay, in a recent interview with The New York Times.
It’s not clear why Manafort asked for this specific amount. In an emailed response to CNBC, Iacullo said Gay “has not been charged with any wrongdoing nor has he done anything that violates any federal or state laws.” He added that “out of an abundance of caution and respect for the process itself, we decline to comment any further at this time.”
CNBC attempted to reach Gay several times, but the phone at Gay’s Canaan, Connecticut-based consulting firm, Business Strategies & Insight, had been disconnected.
In order to get the $125,000, Gay reached out to someone else, whose name is redacted in court filings. Prosecutors described the person as having “a long relationship” with Manafort. Manafort’s defense attorneys said the person had “been a vendor on all these campaigns [Manafort has] used in the past.”
Crucially, in a January court filing the special counsel also noted that this person ran a firm that had been paid “approximately $19 million” by the super PAC that Gay was running in 2016.
There is only one firm that received anything near $19 million from Rebuilding America Now. And reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show that this firm received almost exactly $19 million, leaving little doubt about which firm it was that prosecutors were referring to.
It is a political ad-buying firm called Multi Media Services Corporation, or MMSC, based in Alexandria, Virginia.
At first glance, MMSC appears to be a small, two-man shop with no obvious ties to Manafort or anyone else with whom Manafort has “a long relationship.” Moreover, there are no signs that either of the principals at MMSC was ever “a vendor on all these campaigns [Manafort has] used in the past,” which is how Manafort’s lawyers described the person who ran this firm.
But there is more to MMSC than meets the eye. Interviews and corporate records unearthed by CNBC have revealed that MMSC has a silent owner: Tony Fabrizio, a longtime Manafort associate and the chief pollster on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Fabrizio’s dual role as: a) the owner of MMSC, which was the biggest vendor to the top pro-Trump super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, and b) the Trump campaign’s lead pollster, has not been reported until now.
As for the source of the $125,000, CNBC has also uncovered a compelling detail buried in one of the hundreds of exhibits that Mueller’s prosecutors have entered into the record in the case against Manafort in Washington.
This one appears to be a bank transfer record of the payment itself.
Under the heading “Debit Information” there is a line on the transfer record that reads “Account: MMSC SECONDARY - *7107* - Checking - $132,087.56.”
Again, MMSC is the acronym for Multi Media Services Corporation. Two political operatives who spoke to CNBC referred to the firm by its acronym.
CNBC tried repeatedly over several weeks to reach Fabrizio, but he did not respond to emails or phone messages left for him.
To be clear, at no point in any publicly available filings does Mueller suggest that Fabrizio or MMSC committed any crimes. On the contrary, details that appear to have been provided by Fabrizio are cited frequently as evidence of Manafort’s alleged misdeed: lying to prosecutors about the source of the $125,000.
Manafort’s lawyers deny that he lied. They told the court that he was merely confused or misremembered during each of the three interviews where he told the government three different stories about where the money came from.
Legal experts also told CNBC that there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with what Fabrizio appears to have done, namely, use money from a firm he controls to make a payment on someone else’s behalf.
In addition to Fabrizio, Manafort and Gay, CNBC also reached out to former Rebuilding America Now political director Ken McKay, former general counsel Cleta Mitchell and finance director Christina Culver. None responded to emailed questions about the group or about their work for it.
The connection between Fabrizio, Manafort and the money sent to Manafort’s lawyers from MMSC is only the latest chapter in a relationship between the two men that dates back more than 20 years.
Fabrizio’s role
In 1996, Fabrizio and Manafort worked together on the failed presidential campaign of former Kansas Republican Sen. Bob Dole. Then, as in 2016, Manafort was initially brought on board to manage the delegates at the 1996 Republican National Convention, while Fabrizio worked as the Dole campaign’s pollster.
Since then, Fabrizio has also done work for some of Manafort’s most controversial clients. In 2012 and 2013, foreign lobbying records show that Manafort paid Fabrizio $278,000 for work Fabrizio did to help Manafort’s political clients in Ukraine.
Fabrizio’s role in Manafort’s Ukrainian lobbying wasn’t revealed until a year after Trump was elected,however, when Manafort was required to file a foreign agent registration form with the Justice Department. On it, he listed five separate payments to Fabrizio, as well as payments to various other subcontractors.
Three years after they worked together on the Ukraine job, Manafort hired Fabrizio again, in May 2016, this time to work for the Trump presidential campaign.
At the time, Fabrizio’s hiring was greeted with fanfare in Republican circles, where it was viewed as a sign that Trump’s chaotic, bare-bones primary operation was maturing into a national presidential campaign, one capable of taking on the massive machine backing Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, the fact that Trump had hired a pollster at all was newsworthy, coming, as it did, after months of the candidate insisting that political pollsters were a waste of money.
“One of Paul Manafort’s best decisions was hiring Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio to determine how to beat Hillary Clinton,” wrote Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Manafort’s, Trump’s and Fabrizio’s, in his 2017 book, “The Making of a President.”
“In the end, it was the pugnacious and bulldog-like Fabrizio who insisted that the Trump campaign had to expand the map into Wisconsin and Michigan, while doubling down on Pennsylvania,” Stone wrote.
Stone was arrested earlier this year on charges that included lying to Congress about his contacts in 2016 with Wikileaks, which published thousands of emails allegedly stolen from the Clinton campaign by Russian state hackers.
Two weeks after Manafort hired Fabrizio to poll for the campaign, Manafort and longtime Trump ally Tom Barrack set up the Rebuilding America Now super PAC so they could raise millions at a time from wealthy GOP donors to help Trump, who was reportedly growing tired of spending his own money to fund his campaign.
Five days after Rebuilding America Now was formed on June 2, campaign finance records show that it made its first payment to MMSC, Fabrizio’s ad-buying firm, for a $1 million ad buy. According to prosecutors, Rebuilding America Now hired MMSC “at Manafort’s suggestion.”
The rapid succession of these hirings — first Manafort to chair the campaign, then Fabrizio to poll for the campaign, then Gay to run Rebuilding America Now, then Fabrizio’s ad-buying firm to buy the airtime for Rebuilding America Now — offer a striking example of how Manafort turned his unpaid role on the Trump campaign into an opportunity to secure lucrative work for his longtime associates.
In hindsight, however, this work appears to have come at a high cost to those who did it.
On March 4, Fabrizio was one of more than 80 members of Trump’s extended political and professional orbits to receive a formal letter from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. In it, Nadler wrote that the committee is investigating “allegations of obstruction of justice, public corruption, and abuses of power” by Trump and those around him.
According to the letter, the documents Nadler’s committee is seeking from Fabrizio include anything related to “discussions or attempts to provide or receive election information, campaign data, or campaign communications with, to, or from foreign entities or individuals in connection with the 2016 U.S. Presidential primary or general elections.”
The letter goes on to say: “this includes, but is not limited to, voter data, polling information, political ad targeting, voter registration rolls, social media data, and campaign or party e-mails.”
The special counsel’s interest in hearing from Fabrizio predates the Judiciary Committee’s letter by more than a year, however. In early February 2018, Fabrizio was seen by CNNleaving the special counsel’s office in Washington. The network later confirmed that he had been meeting with members of Mueller’s team.
More recently, court filings in the Manafort case also repeatedly mentioned another interview with an individual who appeared to be Fabrizio, this one conducted on Nov. 6, 2018.
Prosecutors said this individual provided accurate details about the $125,000 payment and how it was arranged, that they were later able to corroborate with text messages and bank records.
The individual also described a financial relationship between MMSC and Rebuilding America Now that was more complicated than it initially appeared in the campaign finance reports that the super PAC submitted to the FEC.
Unusually high commission rates
According to the account of the individual who appears to be Fabrizio, Rebuilding America Now agreed to pay Fabrizio’s firm a surprisingly high commission rate, 6 percent, on its media buys during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The reason for this above-average rate, the person said to prosecutors, was that “half the commission was to be provided to” the head of Rebuilding America Now, in this case, Gay. They also said the commission split “was not reflected in the written contract” between MMSC and Rebuilding America Now.
This wasn’t the first time that questions had come up about the commission rates Rebuilding America Now was paying for its ad buys.
During the 2016 presidential race, potential donors to the PAC also reportedly questioned the rates, along with other elements of Rebuilding America Now’s spending.
“The main question is where the money is going,” an attendee at a Rebuilding America Now fundraising meeting during the Republican National Convention told CNN in the summer of 2016. During that meeting, specific questions were also raised “about the super PAC’s commission rates,” the attendee said.
Commission rates on political ad buys are particularly difficult to track, because campaigns and groups like Rebuilding America Now are not required to report them separately from the money they spend to air the ads themselves.
So, for example, if a super PAC reported an expense of $20 million paid to an ad-buying firm, it would be impossible to tell how much of that money went to the firm as commissions, and how much of it was actually spent to buy airtime.
But “if Gay and Rebuilding America Now knew that 3 percent of all commissions paid to Multi Media Services Corporation would be routed back to Gay, those transactions should have been reported to the FEC as payments to Gay” and not merely as commissions to MMSC, said Brendan Fischer, director of the federal reform program at the nonprofit watchdog group The Campaign Legal Center.
Federal campaign finance law requires that PACs, like political campaigns, accurately report their expenditures to the FEC.
“If a payment is made to one vendor with the intention that it be directed to another person or subvendor, and that recipient isn’t disclosed, then the committee has violated the law” by failing to disclose their expenditures accurately, Fischer said.
Gay’s attorney declined to respond to questions about the commission split from CNBC, as did Fabrizio.
But the alleged existence of a secret commission split wasn’t the only thing about the relationship between MMSC and Rebuilding America Now that experts said raises questions about where donors’ money was actually ending up.
Unusual reimbursements
In May 2017, six months after Trump had won the presidency and Rebuilding America Now had stopped buying ads on TV, campaign finance records show that Fabrizio’s ad-buying firm, MMSC, made three large cash transfers to Rebuilding America Now.
The first was on May 27, for $150,000, according to campaign finance records, which detail all these payments and their dates, sources, amounts and recipients. Three weeks later, on June 15, MMSC again transferred money to its former client, only this time it was a much larger amount: $625,000. The very next day, June 16, it transferred $25,000 to Rebuilding America Now, for a total of $800,000 from the ad-buying firm to the super PAC in a little under a month.
And not just any month. This was the month leading up to the mysterious $125,000 payment to Paul Manafort’s attorneys. That payment, from the account labeled MMSC - Secondary, occurred on June 26, precisely 10 days after the third and last payment from the firm to the PAC.
Records show that Rebuilding America Now reported the $800,000 it received in May and June as media reimbursements. This helps to explain why the money does not appear to have raised any red flags so far with the FEC, even though several other aspects of the PAC’s finances have prompted the FEC to formally request additional information or corrections.
Ad-buying firms frequently reimburse clients after elections for any money that doesn’t ultimately get spent by the firm on ads. This payment is called a reconciliation, and it’s usually made as soon as possible, and it’s precise down to the dollar, said Barbara Kittridge, the founder of Motive LLC, a political media-buying and strategy firm in Washington.
“January is what we media buyers call ‘audit season,’ where we go back through all our ad contracts from the previous year and carefully match the money that was paid with the actual ads that were run. If there’s any money that wasn’t spent, it’s returned to the client right away,” she said.
“Typically, ad-buying contracts require that reconciliations be paid somewhere between 15 and 45 days after the end of either the campaign or the calendar year. Six months is some of the longest I’ve ever seen for a repayment,” Kittridge said.
“It’s also odd to see even numbers” like $150,000 and $25,000 in ad reconciliations, she added. “Depending upon the channel that you’re purchasing ads on, it’s not typical that your costs are that even.”
Interestingly, several months before MMSC returned exactly $800,000 to Gay’s super PAC in the summer of 2017, campaign filings show that the firm made a different reimbursement payment to Rebuilding America Now, one that Kittridge said looked much more like a typical ad reconciliation than the later amounts did.
On Feb. 10, 2017, five weeks after the end of the fourth quarter, MMSC transferred $347,505 back to its client, Rebuilding America Now. Campaign legal experts said the transfer matches what media reconciliations typically look like, because it happened quickly and it was for a very precise amount.
“This reimbursement would be more normative, from both a timing perspective and from an amount perspective,” said Kittridge.
Yet the same qualities that make the February payment appear run-of-the-mill, experts said, are what make the May and June payments look so unusual.
“Six months after the election, with big round numbers, are definitely more suspect,” Kittridge said.
“I have never seen such large reimbursement payments coming so long after the election for which the ads were created. It strains credulity well beyond the breaking point to believe that these payments are reimbursement for unaired general election ads,” said a campaign finance lawyer who has been practicing before the FEC for 30 years, and who requested anonymity to discuss an issue that could come before the commission.
CNBC attempted to reach Fabrizio, as well as MMSC’s president, Dwight Sterling, and its media director, Neal McDonald, for several weeks to ask them about these unusual reimbursements. None responded to phone messages or emails.
Yet one thing is clear from the PAC’s financial reports: In the year that followed these three unusual cash transfers from Fabrizio’s firm to Rebuilding America Now, no one took home more of that money from the PAC, in consulting fees and expenses, than Laurance Gay.
Gay’s role
Gay first entered Trump’s orbit in April 2016 as a high-level campaign volunteer, one of several lobbyists Manafort recruited to help him professionalize the Trump campaign as it became increasingly likely Trump would be the Republican nominee. But Gay and Manafort’s professional relationship dates back to long before there was ever a Trump campaign.
In the 1980s, Gay worked with Manafort and Stone at their lobbying firm, Black, Stone, Manafort & Kelly. Gay is also reportedly the godfather to one of Manafort’s daughters.
During the 2016 campaign, Gay touted his personal and professional relationship with Manafort as one of the major assets Rebuilding America Now had that other pro-Trump super PACs did not.
“The advantage that we bring, without compromising any of the boundaries, is we know how Manafort thinks. I’ve done over 40 campaigns with Paul,” Gay told Politico in the summer of 2016.
For Gay, his relationship with Manafort would also prove to be extremely lucrative. Between June 2016 and June 2018, Gay collected just over $1 million in consulting fees from Rebuilding America Now.
More than three-quarters of that, a total of $775,000, was paid to Gay after 2016, and after Rebuilding America Now had shed staff and stopped running TV ads for Trump.
During that same two-year period, Gay collected another $254,000 in travel reimbursements from the super PAC. Again, the majority of this money, $149,164.03, came after 2016 was over.
Added together, the expenses and fees that Gay took home from Rebuilding America Now in the 18 months after 2016 equaled $924,164.03. This is very close to the combined total of $925,000 that was paid to the super PAC and Manafort’s lawyers ($800,000 to the PAC plus $125,000 to Manafort’s lawyers) by Fabrizio’s firm, MMSC, in May and June 2017.
In June 2018, Rebuilding America Now’s travel expenses caught the attention of the FEC. In a letter to Rebuilding America Now’s treasurer, Ryan Call, the FEC asked him to explain the $42,286 the group had paid to Gay for “Travel” during the first three months of 2018. The FEC gave the group until Aug. 2, 2018, to reply, but so far it has not responded to the request.
By this point, more than a year after Trump was elected, Rebuilding America Now appeared to be operating as little more than a meme-posting operation on Facebook and Twitter, trying to engage Trump supporters with “Like if you agree!” style posts.
Facebook ad records show that in the spring and summer of 2018, Rebuilding America Now ran a series of ads on Facebook. They asked viewers to “Like” posts if, for instance, they “think Hillary [Clinton] should be behind bars,” and “think CNN sucks.”
Yet despite spending money to buy Facebook ads, to pay Gay $35,000 a month and to pay other consultants and lawyers, Rebuilding America Now effectively stopped raising any money after the 2016 election, and only spent money.
Between June 2017, when the PAC received the last of the three unusual transfers from MMSC, to October 2018, when Palm Beach real estate developer Llwyd Ecclestone gave the group $25,000, campaign finance records show that Gay did not raise any money at all.
Ecclestone’s gift came long after the PAC had effectively gone dormant. He did not respond to an email from CNBC on Friday asking what prompted him to donate $25,000 to the group more than two years after he had last given it any money and months after Rebuilding America Now had stopped doing anything more than posting photos online.
Now, it barely even does that. Rebuilding America Now’s Twitter account posted its last tweet on Oct. 10, 2018. And the PAC’s website was taken down sometime in the fall, although it is difficult to tell precisely when.
As of March 6, the Rebuilding America Now Facebook page was still active, however, and it linked to the nonexistent website. CNBC sent a message to the Facebook page but has received no response.
While the name of Rebuilding America Now may have faded from the pro-Trump political landscape, Gay’s name has re-emerged in the news in recent weeks. This time it is in connection with a different pro-Trump entity that is currently under investigation: Trump’s presidential inaugural committee, or PIC.
Bloomberg News recently identified Gay as having been in charge of the ticketing operation for Trump’s inaugural events. This appeared to be the first time Gay had been identified by name as having had an official role in Trump’s inauguration.
“Gay didn’t have any known experience managing invitations, according to three people familiar with his role,” Bloomberg reported.
Prosecutors in both New York and New Jersey have reportedly opened preliminary investigations into Trump’s inaugural committee, including whether foreign nationals who attended inaugural events made prohibited donations to the committee by using “straw man” donors to hide their participation.
Gay was not the only member of Manafort’s inner circle working on core elements of Trump’s inauguration. Manafort’s longtime right-hand man, Rick Gates, was the deputy chairman of the inaugural committee, working directly under Barrack, the inaugural committee’s billionaire chairman.
The revelation that Gay was working alongside Gates at the inaugural committee serves as yet another example of how far Manafort’s reach into the Trump campaign continued to extend, months after Manafort himself had been fired from the campaign in August.
Gates was indicted in late 2017 along with Manafort, and charged with failing to disclose foreign lobbying and tax evasion. He has since pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and lying to the FBI, and he has cooperated with prosecutors and testified against Manafort in court.
Gay’s attorney declined to comment in response to questions from CNBC about Gay’s work for the inaugural committee.
- He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. The charges against Stone are unrelated to the Manafort prosecution, nor do they have anything to do with Fabrizio or Gay.
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1019
https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876
https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876Rebuilding America Now Summary | OpenSecrets
https://www.opensecrets.org › pacs › lookup2
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- https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php%3FstrID%3DC00618876+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzAAegQIAxAG
https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php%3FstrID%3DC00618876+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzAAegQIAxAGhttps://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php%3FstrID%3DC00618876+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzAAegQIAxAG:{:{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: ... NOTE: This committee is a single-candidate super :{PAC:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: in support of Donald Trump (R). ... Industry: :{Republican:(style="font-weight:bold"):}:/Conservative ... from individual :{donor:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: data, which were released by the FEC on October 16, 2019.:(style="overflow-wrap:break-word"):}:
https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018
https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00618876&cycle=2018Rebuilding America Now Summary | OpenSecrets
https://www.opensecrets.org › pacs › lookup2
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https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:B8l-HsuKgkcJ:https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php%3FstrID%3DC00618876%26cycle%3D2018+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us:{:{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: ... NOTE: This committee is a single-candidate super :{PAC:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: in support of Donald Trump (R). ... Industry: :{Republican:(style="font-weight:bold"):}:/Conservative:(style="overflow-wrap:break-word"):}:
https://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Now
https://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_NowRebuilding America Now - Ballotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org › Rebuilding_America_Now
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- https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Now+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzACegQIAhAG
https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://ballotpedia.org/Rebuilding_America_Now+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzACegQIAhAG:{:{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: is a super :{PAC:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: that was established on June 2, 2016, ... and potential :{Republican:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: challengers to Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) ... Texas oil CEO Harold Hamm, and Home Depot co-:{founder:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: Bernie Marcus.:(style="overflow-wrap:break-word"):}:
Background · Work · Leadership · Noteworthy events
[PDF]https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001
https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001about rebuilding america now - Politico
https://www.politico.com › ...
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https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:E832nkTcXyEJ:https://www.politico.com/f/%3Fid%3D00000156-2eff-db8a-a57f-6efff89c0001+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us:{Jul 20, 2016 -:{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: is a Super :{PAC:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: supporting Donald. Trump in the 2016 General ... Cleta is a renowned :{Republican:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: campaign lawyer with 40 .... Fundraising and :{donor:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: lists for :{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: should be ...:(style="overflow-wrap:break-word"):}:
https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/
https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/Rebuilding America Now - FactCheck.org
https://www.factcheck.org › 2016/06 › rebuilding-america-now
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https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W3R8s-gu-Y4J:https://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/rebuilding-america-now/+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us:{Jun 10, 2016 -:{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: is a super :{PAC:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: founded in June 2016 to support ... A veteran :{Republican:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: campaign operative and :{founder:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: of the ...:(style="overflow-wrap:break-word"):}:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Now
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Nowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_NowRebuilding America Now - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Rebuilding_America_Now
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- https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Now+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzAFegQIBRAG
https://www.google.com/search?q=related:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebuilding_America_Now+rebuilding+america+now+pac+funder+gop&tbo=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUwsjSv8nlAhUBYKwKHcWnAWUQHzAFegQIBRAG:{:{Rebuilding America Now:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: is a political action committee (:{PAC:(style="font-weight:bold"):}:) created to support Donald ... Los Angeles real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer emerged as the first publicly-disclosed big :{donor:(style="font-weight:bold"):}: to the group, having donated $2 million to the ...:(style="overflow-wrap:break-word"):}:
Missing: ~~gop~~ | Must include: gop
:{https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/
https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/https://fortune.com/2016/07/22/trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-convention/Pro-Trump Super PACs Raised Millions at the Cleveland GOP ...
https://fortune.com › 2016/07/22 › trump-super-pacs-cleveland-gop-conve...
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/21/trump-reverses-his-opposition-to-super-pacs-and-is-now-willing-to-headline-events-for-a-big-money-group/Trump reverses his opposition to super PACs and is now ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com › news › post-politics › 2016/07/21 › tru...
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Missing: ~~funder~~ | Must include: funder
https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/
https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-army-super-pacs-maga-nonprofits/Inside Donald Trump's army of super PACs and MAGA ...
https://publicintegrity.org › federal-politics › donald-trump-army-super-pa...
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https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/
https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/trumps-new-super-pac-attack-dog/Trump's new super PAC attack dog – Center for Public Integrity
https://publicintegrity.org › federal-politics › trumps-new-super-pac-attack...
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