Subject: RE: Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser
From: "Yoxall, Collin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Garcia, Walter" <[email-masked]>, Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:19:46 -0700

Its Svitek's Article On WFAA Website

Texas Democrats file FEC complaint against Cruz<http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/texas-democrats-file-fec-complaint-against-cruz/152922054?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 5:12 PM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser

Texas Democratic Party Accuses Ted Cruz of Violating Election Campaign Laws<http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/news/2016/04/25/texas-democratic-party-accusested-cruz-of-violating-election-campaign-laws.html>
By TWC News Staff

The Texas Democratic Party is accusing Ted Cruz of violating election campaign laws at a Dallas fundraiser. The group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission.
It claims back in December, Cruz's national co-chair, J Kleet Lewis, violated FEC rules by asking supporters for unlimited contributions. They claim Lewis said any donor who hit their $5,000 max could then give to a pro-Cruz Super PAC.
The group says Lewis also asked for corporate Super PAC contributions. Federal law allows Super PACs to raise and spend as much money as they want, but any coordination with candidates is illegal.
The Texas Democrats are asking the FEC for an immediate investigation. Time Warner Cable News reached out to the Cruz campaign for comment, but have not heard back at this time.
Read the full complaint here<http://www.txdemocrats.org/pdf/TDP-Complaint-on-Ted-Cruz-4_22_16.pdf>. (.pdf)

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 3:19 PM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser

Texas Democrats File FEC Complaint Against Cruz<https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/25/texas-democrats-file-fec-complaint-against-cruz/>

*         by Patrick Svitek<https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/>, Texas Tribune

Texas Democrats have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission claiming the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz<http://www.texastribune.org/directory/ted-cruz/> violated federal election law.
Announced Monday, the complaint asks the FEC to investigate an incident in which a Cruz fundraiser reportedly suggested at a campaign-hosted event that supporters give unlimited donations to a super PAC. Under federal election law, campaigns and their agents cannot solicit contributions above the federal limit of $5,000.
"If you hit your max then we have a table for you that is the unlimited table," Cruz bundler Keet Lewis said at a campaign fundraiser Dec. 30 in Dallas, according<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/ted-cruz-keet-lewis-super-pac-donations-221656> to Politico, which obtained a recording of Lewis' remarks. "It can take corporate dollars, it can take partnership dollars, and that's the super PAC, Stand for Truth, so pick up some of that information."
The complaint by the Texas Democratic Party, which is dated Friday, says Cruz's campaign "disregarded the law and brazenly asked supporters to give both unlimited contributions and contributions from corporations to a Super PAC supporting Senator Cruz's campaign."
"He's got to face the consequences, own up to it and make it right," party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said on a conference call with reporters. "We've already seen that Ted Cruz will lie, cheat and say anything to get into power." Cruz's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint.
Jordan Rudner contributed reporting.

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 3:10 PM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser

Ted Cruz fundraiser subject of Texas Democrats' ethics complaint<http://www.statesman.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/ted-cruz-fundraiser-subject-of-texas-democrats-eth/nrBg8/>

Sean Collins Walsh<http://www.statesman.com/staff/sean-collins-walsh/>
American-Statesman Staff
The Texas Democratic Party has filed a complaint alleging that the presidential campaign for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz violated campaign finance law by soliciting donations at a Dec. 30 fundraiser in Dallas for a pro-Cruz "super-PAC."
Super PACs, which are independent political committees that can raise unlimited amounts of money and withhold donor information, are not supposed to coordinate with campaigns, even if they are created for the sole purpose of boosting a specific candidate. The Texas Democrats' complaint filed to the Federal Election Commission on Friday says that prohibited coordination occurred at the Dallas event when a Cruz campaign official asked donors to contribute both to the campaign and to Stand for Truth, one of several super-PACs supporting the Texas Republican.
The complaint stems from a recording in which J. Keet Lewis, who the Cruz campaign has described as "national co-chair," instructs donors on how to contribute to the pro-Cruz effort by giving the campaign the maximum amount allowed under federal election law and then giving more to Stand for Truth: "If you hit your max, we have a table for you that is the unlimited table. It can take corporate dollars, it can take partnership dollars, and that's the super-PAC, Stand for Truth. So pick up some of that information. So the method to our madness is this: You max out and then get engaged in the super-PAC," he said.
The campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
When Politico published the recording<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/ted-cruz-keet-lewis-super-pac-donations-221656> earlier this month, Lewis indicated he did not consider himself an agent of the campaign, despite his title. "Other than invite people to the events, that's all I do," he said.
The highly political Federal Election Commission rarely acts on accusations of super-PAC coordination, which have become commonplace since the independent-expenditure groups were legalized by the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
But the episode is likely to become campaign-trail fodder for Cruz' rivals in the presidential race, especially Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Trump has made his opponents' reliance on super-PACs and the GOP donor class a major issue in his anti-establishment campaign. (A pro-Trump super-PAC with ties to the candidate shut down<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/trump-super-pac-shuts-down-215093> after Trump was criticized for benefiting from its efforts while eschewing super-PACs in general.)

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 2:51 PM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser

One more here

Texas Dems file FEC complaint over Ted Cruz fundraiser<http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/tedcruz/article/Texas-Dems-file-FEC-complaint-over-Ted-Cruz-7318953.php?t=ddc53bd8d5438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium>
By Brian M. Rosenthal<http://www.houstonchronicle.com/author/brian-rosenthal/>, Houston Chronicle

The Texas Democratic Party filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission alleging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign broke the law by soliciting donations for a supportive super PAC.

The complaint alleges that prominent Cruz campaign supporter Keet Lewis suggested attendees at a campaign fundraiser contribute the maximum amount to the campaign and then start donating to the super PAC, "a blatant violation" of rules prohibiting coordination between a campaign a super PAC.
POLITICO reported earlier this month<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/ted-cruz-keet-lewis-super-pac-donations-221656> about the fundraiser, which took place Dec. 30 in Dallas and was attended by Cruz and his wife, Heidi. The article quoted Lewis as saying, "If you hit your max then we have a table for you that is the unlimited table. "It can take corporate dollars, it can take partnership dollars, and that's the super PAC, Stand for Truth, so pick up some of that information."
In response, Lewis told the publication that he did not view himself as an agent of the campaign.
The complaint filed Monday noted that Lewis has been named a "national co-chair" of the campaign, as well as a leader of the "Small Business For Cruz Coalition."
The complaint urges the Federal Election Commission to fine Cruz, his campaign, Lewis and the super PAC.
A Cruz spokeswoman did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Read the complaint here<http://www.txdemocrats.org/pdf/TDP-Complaint-on-Ted-Cruz-4_22_16.pdf>.

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 2:40 PM
To: Comm_D
Subject: Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser

Boom

Texas Democrats allege Cruz campaign violated federal election laws during Dallas fundraiser<http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/texas-democrats-allege-cruz-campaign-violated-federal-election-laws-during-dallas-fundraiser.html/>

Katie Leslie<http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/author/katieleslie/>

Texas Democrats have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz and his associates violated campaign finance laws.

The complaint, dated April 22, asserts that Cruz national co-chairman, J. Keet Lewis, broke election laws at an official campaign fundraiser in December by asking attendees to donate unlimited amounts, as well as to make corporate contributions to the pro-Cruz Stand for Truth PAC.

Cruz and his wife, Heidi, reportedly attended the Dec. 30 event in Dallas.

Federal law prohibits coordination between candidates and Super PACs. While a candidate or agent of a candidate can solicit donors to a PAC, it is illegal for them to solicit unlimited contributions or corporate contributions to a Super PAC. They can only solicit up to $5,000 from individuals.

The Texas Democrats say Lewis clearly violated those terms when he told donors "If you hit your max then we have a table for you that is the unlimited table. It can take corporate dollars, it can take partnership dollars, and that's the Super PAC, Stand for Truth..." according to the complaint.

Lewis also said "The method to our madness is this: You max out and then get engaged in the Super PAC," the filing states.

Lewis has denied wrongdoing and told Politico, which reported the potential violation earlier this month, that he is not an agent of the campaign under federal standards. Lewis was one of roughly 50 co-hosts. Texas Democrats argue that he is, <http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/ted-cruz-keet-lewis-super-pac-donations-221656> given his national co-chair role<https://www.tedcruz.org/news/small-business-supports-cruz-simple-flat-tax-plan/>.

Neither the Cruz campaign nor Lewis could be reached for immediate comment Monday.

The FEC had not received a copy of the complaint by Monday morning. In addition to Cruz and Lewis, the complaint lists Cruz for President treasurer Bradley Knippa and Stand for Truth Treasurer D. Eric Lycan as respondents.

It's the latest FEC complaint filed against Cruz's presidential campaign.

In January, the left-leaning group Texans for Public Justice filed a complaint alleging Cruz purposely hid more than $1 million<http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/01/fec-complaint-filed-against-ted-cruz-for-undisclosed-loans-in-2012-senate-campaign.html/> in loans from major banks during his 2012 Senate campaign.

In response, Cruz noted that he reported the loans on personal financial disclosure forms filed with the Senate and asked the FEC for guidance on how to amend the campaign reports in question.

--

Walter Garcia
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
@WalterGarcia231<https://twitter.com/WalterGarcia231>
[SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/>