Watchdog group: Trump campaign improperly masking payments

President Donald Trump’s reelection effort allegedly hid nearly $170 million in spending from mandatory public disclosure by routing payments through companies tied to his former campaign manr, a government oversight group said Tuesday.

use of firms linked to former campaign manr Br Parscale masked ultimate recipients of money, which npartisan Campaign Legal Center described as a “laundering” effort that violates election law, according to a complaint group filed with Federal Elections Commission.

Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh disputed allegations and said “campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations.”

Most of payments by Trump’s campaign committees were me to American Me Media Consultants, which has received at least $177 million since 2018, according to FEC records. or firm, Parscale Strategy, has collected at least $32 million during that period, records show.

campaign said that American Me Media Consultants was formed to purchase vertising directly — and save money by t relying on middlemen. But records show company inste acted as a clearinghouse for spending, while still using third party vendors, which it was ostensibly created to avoid, complaint states.

In at least two cases, outside firms owned by Trump’s digital director Gary Coby appeared to have been firm tapped to make purchases or develop digital communication products, though re is record of payments me to Coby in Trump’s campaign finance disclosures, according to complaint.

Meanwhile, Parscale Strategy has been used to pay salaries of some Trump reelection officials, including Lara Trump, wife of Trump’s son Eric, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, girlfriend of Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr., complaint states.

In a statement, Murtaugh did t dress salaries paid through Parscale Strategies. But he said that America Me Media Consultants is t paid a fee and does t earn a commission.

“It builds efficiencies and saves campaign money by providing se in-house services that orwise would be done by outside vendors,” Murtaugh said. “ campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by FEC.”

Brendan Fischer, an attorney with Campaign Legal Center, said campaign is improperly avoiding mandatory disclosure.

“This illegal conduit scheme leaves voters in dark about entities working for Trump campaign, nature of ir services, and full amount y are paid,” said Brendan Fischer, an attorney with Campaign Legal Center. “We don’t kw all of what is being hidden by this scheme, but we do kw that it violates law.”

In any event, it’s unlikely that group’s complaint will be taken up by FEC before election. federal ncy can take years to dress complaints, and it often delocks along partisan lines.

Earlier this month, one longtime commissioner anunced she was stepping down, denying FEC eugh members to legally meet to conduct business.

Wall Street Journal first reported that complaint was filed.