09-02-2016, 11:06 PM
No surprise here. SuperPacs are a Frankenstein monster, given free reins to influence, and to outright scam..
Quote:Donald Trump supporters should be cheered by the fact that Liberty Action Group has raised upwards of $750,000 in 2016. Its website says right at the top that contributions go "directly toward spreading the message through the media" to support the Republican nominee. But, in fact, most of the organization's resources don't appear to be going towards that goal. The entity has made exactly zero dollars in actual independent expenditures this entire year, and its last quarterly FEC filing discloses spending consisting almost entirely of telemarketing and other fundraising-related expenses. There are a series of disbursements to one of the principal organizers and registered agents for the group -- Josiah "Joey" Cammer -- and the largest expenditure, more than $450,000, is to an unidentified "Media Consultant." Chances are, it's a scam.How Super PACs Could Be Scamming You Out of Your Money - TheStreet
Politico this week made waves with a report recounting the story of a 25-year-old hacker who has made $1 million with a similar scheme, dangling a a chance for dinner with the Republican presidential nominee in front of unsuspecting donors in return for contributions. Sounds extreme in its unscrupulous nature, but it's not uncommon.
For example, an analysis of 10 conservative PACs registered to Washington, D.C. political consultant Scott Mackenzie revealed 92% of a combined $17.5 million raised went to operating expenses. Mackenzie did not return request for comment. A separate analysis of committees Alexandria, Virg.-based attorney Dan Backer provided legal and compliance services for showed that they spent more than 87% of a combined $8 million raised on operating expenses in 2014, including $419,000 to Backer's own firm, DB Capitol Strategies.
This election cycle, one of the groups, Stop Hillary PAC, has raised about $1.5 million but spent only about $2,000 on direct contributions to political committees. It has spent less than a third of its funds on independent expenditures, where you might find ad buys, but a significant percentage of that has gone to political vendors for list rental fees and other expenses designed to drive online fundraising and promote the PAC.