Watchdog Group Alleges Shady Donation to Christie’s Presidential Campaign
Tom Ramstack
The Legal Forum, offering legal representation, language translation, media services.
WASHINGTON -- The watchdog group Campaign Legal Center is accusing presidential candidate Chris Christie of receiving an illegal $1 million donation in a complaint filed this month with the Federal Election Commission.
The money was funneled through third parties to Christie’s political action committee, apparently to hide the origin of the donation, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center complaint.
The $1 million was the biggest donation so far to Christie’s Tell It Like It is super PAC, which holds assets of around $6 million.
On the surface, the money appears to come from SHBT LLC, a company that was organized in Denton, Texas a year ago. Its address matches records for a lawyer’s office.
Further digging shows two companies transferred 50 acres of land to SHBT. Both the companies share an address of 1 Cowboys Way in nearby Frisco, Tex., which also is the address for the Dallas Cowboys football team.
The Dallas Cowboys is owned by Jerry Jones, a billionaire businessman known to be a Christie supporter.
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If true, the donation could represent “dark money” that violates Federal Election Commission rules. The agency requires that candidates or their PACS submit records for each contribution greater than $50 that lists the amount, the date of receipt and the contributor’s name and mailing address.
“Straw donor contributions like those alleged here are serious violations of federal campaign finance law that have led to criminal indictments and convictions in recent years,” the Campaign Legal Center says in its complaint.
Neither Jones or the attorney for SHBT have explained any connection they might have with the $1 million donation to Christie’s PAC.
A statement from the PAC says, “All our financial reporting is in full compliance with FEC requirements.”
Referring to the Campaign Legal Center’s complaint, the statement says, “This is nothing more than a frivolous political attack by a left-wing group.”
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