Timeline for To what degree is foreign financial support allowed in US politics?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Apr 26, 2019 at 1:14 | comment | added | grovkin | @Brythan a US subsidiary of an international corp, hq'd abroad, can donate to a SuperPAC as long as it is not coordinating with the hq. The onus for proving that coordination occurred would then be on a prosecutor, but if they managed to prove it, it would be illegal. Search for "Corporate donations and disbursements for nonfederal activity" in fec.gov/updates/foreign-nationals | |
| May 18, 2017 at 23:25 | comment | added | user1530 | @Brythan it's a 501(c) of which there are various types. In terms of PACs, it's usually the 501(c)(3) which is often called (not sure rightly or wrongly) a 503(c). There are also 501(c)(4)s and 501(c)(5)s that I think are common in politics. | |
| May 18, 2017 at 22:42 | comment | added | Brythan | @EvanCarroll "can the corporation donate to a PAC?" No. Corporations cannot give money to PACs nor to candidates. Corporations can give money to the organizations informally called SuperPACs, although foreign corporations should not be able to do so. It's unclear how that is being enforced at the moment. And I'm pretty sure that the number is 503 or 504, not 501. If you have more questions, you should ask a new question, as comments aren't really long enough for proper answers and evade voting. | |
| May 18, 2017 at 16:32 | comment | added | PoloHoleSet | @EvanCarroll - With Citizens United, yes, corporations can give to PACs, or can directly run advertising campaigns related to elections on their own. As a non-citizen individual, you cannot give directly to a candidate or a party. As blip points out, that was the entire stink about the IRS investigation - targeting a 501c group for investigation for their politics was entirely appropriate because 501c groups are not allowed to be political, at all. There are groups that are allowed to be political, but they are neither anonymous nor tax exempt. | |
| May 18, 2017 at 16:25 | comment | added | user1530 | @EvanCarroll if you give a politician money directly, that's a contribution (or unofficially, a bribe). Strings are not required--they are implied. The definition of dark money is that the money isn't traceable. So, yes, a Saudi could donate anonymously to a 501c that spends money on promoting a particular candidate. | |
| May 18, 2017 at 16:19 | comment | added | Evan Carroll | But, it's not even dark money at that point right? I mean if I'm Saudi or Russian and I own a corporation can the corporation donate to a PAC? What if I give a candidate money, without strings? Is it still viewed as a campaign contribution? He pays the mortgage with my money, and uses his own to fund the campaign? | |
| May 18, 2017 at 16:02 | history | answered | user1530 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |