FINED

Jeb Bush Super PAC Hit With Record Fine by FEC

The largest fine since the Citizens United ruling.

The Federal Election Commission has levied its biggest fine since the Citizens United decision against pro-Jeb Bush super PAC Right to Rise. Right to Rise took $1.3 million in donations from American Pacific International Capital, Inc. (APIC), a Chinese-owned corporation, breaking federal law barring foreign interference in elections. APIC was fined $550,000 for violating the foreign national contribution ban, while Right to Rise was fined $390,000 for soliciting a foreign national contribution. The decision is the third largest FEC fine in history.

A bombshell report by The Intercept in August 2016 first laid out evidence of the violation. “Today’s action is a rare and remarkable step by the FEC, and a reminder that safeguarding our elections against foreign interference is in America’s vital national security interests,” said Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center, and a former Republican chairman of the FEC. “This illegal $1.3 million contribution is unmistakable proof that Citizens United opened the floodgates to foreign money in the U.S., and it is surely the tip of the iceberg.”