Welcome to Pay Dirt—exclusive reporting and research from The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay on corruption, campaign finance, and influence-peddling in the nation’s capital. For Beast Inside members only.
President Donald Trump’s official “independent” political group appears to have illicitly concealed the true identity of one of its largest donors, a nonpartisan ethics watchdog alleges.
The super PAC America First Action reported receiving a $325,000 contribution last year from a company called Global Energy Producers. But records released in federal court this week indicate that contribution came from an entirely different company. And the Campaign Legal Center says the evidence indicates the donor’s identity was knowingly misreported in violation of federal campaign-finance laws.