How operatives used conspiracy theories to recruit CPAC donors, then created their own PAC to reap m
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Source: Politico
'This makes me a little queasy ... which is good.'
How operatives used conspiracy theories to recruit CPAC donors, then created their own PAC to reap millions for themselves.
By MAGGIE SEVERNS and DEREK WILLIS 07/26/2019 05:04 AM EDT
After recruiting thousands of donors for the American Conservative Union -- the powerful organization behind the annual CPAC conference -- a Republican political operative pushed the same contributors to give millions to a PAC that promised to go after then-President Barack Obama, but then steered much of their donations to himself and his partners.
The PAC, called the Conservative Majority Fund, has raised nearly $10 million since mid-2012 and continues to solicit funds to this day, primarily from thousands of steadfast contributors to conservative causes, many of them senior citizens. But it has made just $48,400 in political contributions to candidates and committees. Public records indicate its main beneficiaries are the operative Kelley Rogers, who has a history of disputes over allegedly unethical fundraising, and one of the largest conservative fundraising companies, InfoCision Management Corp., which charged millions of dollars in fundraising fees.
The saga of how politically connected fundraisers used one of the nation's leading conservative organizations as a springboard for fundraising that mainly benefited the fundraisers themselves sheds light on the growing problem of so-called scam PACs -- organizations that take advantage of loosened campaign finance laws to reap windfalls for insiders while directing only a small portion of receipts to actual political advocacy.
Watchdogs have long complained that ethics laws fail to prevent the exploitation of donors by organizations operating with little or no oversight, and even President Donald Trump's campaign issued a warning this year about "dishonest fundraising groups" using the president's name to raise funds.
Rogers' and InfoCision's work on behalf of the ACU also shows how lax regulation allows big-name political organizations to recruit donors without identifying either the source of the calls or the ultimate beneficiaries of the donations. ACU appears to have had little control over the PAC's operation and was not the source of its fundraising scripts.
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Both Rogers' Annapolis, Md.-based Strategic Campaign Group and the Akron, Ohio-based InfoCision, a direct marketing firm, were once staples of GOP fundraising. Rogers' clients included Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran and national security adviser John Bolton, while InfoCision helped raise money for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Rifle Association.
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We’re still reporting on the booming scam PAC business. Do you think one has been asking you for money? Tell our reporter Maggie Severns at [email protected] or via Signal at 612-669-8689.
This story was co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. (1) Sign up to get their biggest stories in your inbox. (2)
(1) https://www.propublica.org/article/conservative-majority-fund-political-fundraising-pac-kelley-rogers
(2) https://go.propublica.org/20190416
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/26/conservative-majority-fund-political-fundraising-pac-kelley-rogers-1428260
Huge hat tip to Joe.My.God:
Politico: Millions Were Scammed From CPAC Donors
July 26, 2019
https://www.joemygod.com/2019/07/politico-millions-were-scammed-from-cpac-donors/
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