FEC fined Jeb Bush super PAC for foreign donation

Legal

Campaign finance regulators also fined a Chinese company.

The Federal Election Commission fined the super PAC $ 940,000 on Monday, which supported Jeb Bush's bid for the 2016 presidential election and a Chinese-controlled company that gave him illegal donations.

The exceptionally heavy fines imposed by the FEC came after the commission found evidence that Bush's super PAC had taken money from a foreign national, which is prohibited by the federal election law. The Super PAC, Right to Rise, was fined $ 390,000 for the violation, while the FEC imposed an additional $ 550,000 fine on American Pacific International Capital, Inc. , $ 3 million to Bush's super PAC in the spring of 2015, getting ready for a presidential race.

History continues below

"Today's action is a rare and remarkable step on the part of the FEC, and a reminder that protecting our elections from foreign interference is of vital interest to the national security of the United States," he said. said Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center, who filed a complaint against donations in August 2016 to the FEC. "This illegal contribution of $ 1.3 million is undeniable proof that Citizens United has opened the door to foreign money in the United States and this is surely the tip of the iceberg."

The FEC did not conclude that the donations constituted a "conscious and voluntary" violation of the law, according to new documents released Monday.

The donation took place after Jeb Bush's brother, Neil, who sits on APIC's Board of Directors, discussed a contribution in February 2015 with Gordon Tang, another member of the Board of Directors of APIC. APIC, of ​​Chinese nationality. A total of two Chinese nationals reported on the donation, according to documents published by the FEC.

APIC donated $ 1 million to Right to Rise in March, and the company made an additional $ 300,000 in June.

Federal law prohibits foreigners from donating in US elections and states that a foreign national can not "direct, dictate, control or participate directly or indirectly" in the decision-making process of a company with respect to related activities. in elections. As Neil Bush played a role in soliciting donations, Right to Rise and APIC were fined.