Federal court docket orders FEC to take motion in opposition to the NRA

The FEC was instructed to respond to complaints against the NRA within 30 days.

The FEC illegally delayed action on complaints against the NRA

The Campaign Legal Center said in a statement to PoliticusUSA:

Today the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order instructing the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to respond to long-pending administrative complaints against the National Rifle Association (NRA) for its use of mailbox companies within 30 days Coordinating to respond to campaign spending with federal candidates. The order follows a 2019 lawsuit filed by Campaign Legal Center Action (CLC Action) on behalf of Giffords.

The Campaign Funding Act allows outside groups such as the NRA to spend unlimited spending on supporting candidates – but only if that spending is completely independent of those candidates’ campaigns. During the 2014, 2016, and 2018 campaign cycles, the NRA showed a blatant disregard for these rules by using mutual vendors to coordinate spending with seven federal candidates, including former President Donald Trump. Through this program, the NRA was able to secretly donate millions of dollars to candidates in violation of contribution limits without disclosing their support.

Giffords filed four complaints with the FEC in an attempt to remedy the NRA’s violations. The FEC did nothing. In April 2019, CLC Action filed a lawsuit against the FEC in federal court on behalf of Gifford, on the grounds that the FEC had illegally delayed the administrative complaint.

FEC complaints have been filed against the NRA for years, encompassing everything from illegal donations to coordinating campaigns. The NRA has been used as a mediator between Trump and Russia, and the gun lobby has been under investigation for years for channeling illegal campaign contributions to Trump and other Republican candidates.

Republicans in the FEC blocked the commission from calling the FBI to ask if the NRA was laundering Russian money into the Trump campaign.

The Republicans in the FEC have blocked action against the NRA, but action must finally be taken thanks to a federal court ruling.

Ms. Jones is the Co-Founder / Editor-in-Chief of PoliticusUSA and a member of the White House Press Pool.

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