Gage Skidmore
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz speaks on the 2021 Younger Latino Management Summit in Phoenix, Arizona.
Amid scrutiny over his controversial podcast deal, a marketing campaign committee tied to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is now being requested to elucidate a donation it accepted earlier this yr that significantly exceeds the quantity allowed below federal legislation.
In a June 26 letter, the Federal Election Fee requested the Ted Cruz Victory Committee to elucidate a $16,000 donation from an individual recognized as Reginald James Brown. People are solely allowed to donate $2,000 to a candidate’s committee per election, which means the reported contribution was eight instances over the restrict.
In federal filings, the committee lists its two greatest 2024 beneficiaries as Cruz and the Cruz-affiliated Jobs, Freedom & Safety PAC.
It is common for campaigns to be requested to elucidate larger-than-allowed donations, and so they typically keep away from scorching water in the event that they return the quantity over the allowable restrict, in line with specialists. Even so, the $16,000 donation is significantly bigger than many who set off crimson flags with the FEC.
The FEC’s letter comes as Cruz faces a grievance from a pair of watchdog teams — Marketing campaign Authorized Heart and Finish Residents United — who requested the fee to analyze a deal the senator struck with San Antonio-based radio group iHeartMedia to distribute his podcast.
Beneath that contract, iHeartMedia funnels cash associated to advert time offered on The Verdict With Ted Cruz podcast into the coffers of Reality and Braveness, a brilliant PAC that publicly lists its motive for existence as guaranteeing Cruz is reelected in 2024.
Whereas Cruz has defended the deal saying he information the podcast without cost, Marketing campaign Authorized Heart and Finish Residents United argue that the donations to the tremendous PAC are a means for the politician to skirt limits on company marketing campaign donations.
Since placing the distribution deal in late 2022, iHeartMedia has poured a complete of $786,000 into the coffers of Reality and Braveness, federal information present.
The Ted Cruz Victory Committee has till July 31 to reply the FEC’s question in regards to the $16,000 donation.
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