Former President Donald Trump has all but declared that he is making another bid for a second term in office. A Democratic political action committee has recently filed a lawsuit against Trump for violating campaign finance laws spending donor funds even as Trump has yet to file for candidacy.
The former president has sought to raise money in the midst of hinting that he intends to run for office again in 2024. The super PAC filed a complaint Monday to the Federal Election Commission, alleging that Trump has violated campaign finance laws by spending the funds solicited from his donors without officially filing for candidacy.
To note, campaign finance laws in the US require candidates who raise or spend more than $5000 in support of a presidential campaign to register with the FEC. The super PAC, American Bridge, went on to accuse Trump of “illegally using his multicandidate leadership PAC to raise and spend funds in excess of Commission limits for the purpose of advancing a 2024 presidential campaign.”
The complaint cites the payments made at events held at the former president’s properties, rallies that feature Trump, “consulting payments to former Trump campaign staff, and digital advertising about Mr. Trump’s events and his presumptive 2024 opponent.”
There are observers who pointed out that the former president may be trying to dodge campaign finance requirements by not officially filing for candidacy. Trump has since teased that he will be running again in 2024, and back in January has referred to himself as the “45th and 47th president.”
Meanwhile, Republican party committees recently censured two more GOP senators whom they believe to be insufficiently loyal to the former president. While the RNC censured GOP Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, state Republican committees, have censured six of the 17 Republicans who voted to impeach or convict Trump during the second impeachment trials.
However, some GOP-led organizations have decided to censure their fellow Republicans for other reasons such as the loyalty they have to Trump. WECT-TV recently reported that the New Hanover County Republican Party has voted to censure both GOP Senators citing lack of “fiscal responsibility.”