WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - An elections watchdog has filed a lawsuit against a conservative committee, claiming it failed to disclose its contributors.
Campaign Legal Center filed suit against Heritage Action For America on May 5 in Washington, D.C., federal court under the Federal Election Campaign Act. At issue is the group's spending in September 2018.
"(J)ust seven weeks before the Nov. 6 federal elections, Heritage Action spent more than $300,000 expressly advocating for the election or defeat of a dozen clearly identified candidates for federal office," the lawsuit says.
"Nevertheless, Heritage Action's subsequent reporting to the Federal Election Commission failed to publicly disclose any of its contributors, as required... To this day, Heritage Action's FEC disclosures have never been amended or supplemented to report Defendant's contributors."
Heritage Action announced its plans to spend $2.5 million on 12 candidates in August 2018. Subsequent disclosure forms showed the group failed to raise that much money but did spend $374,177 on mailers and digital advertising to support the 12 candidates.
Teh targeted candidates were Rod Blum in Iowa, Andy Barr in Kentucky, Mike Bishop in Michigan, Ann Wagner in Missouri, Ted Budd and Mark Harris in North Carolina, Jay Webber in New Jersey, Yvette Herrell in New Mexico, Steve Chabot in Ohio, Scott Perry and Keith Rothfus in Pennsylvania and Dave Brat in Virginia.
A complaint filed later that year with the FEC sought disclosure of contributors to Heritage Action. It was pending for more than 850 days, leading CLC to file suit in federal court to force the FEC to act.
The judge in the case entered default judgment for CLC after the FEC did not defend itself. CLC's May 5 lawsuit against Heritage Action followed.