CLC Alleges that Donald Trump’s Committees Illegally Obscured Legal Services Payments

On April 24, 2024, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, his leadership PAC Save America, and three other Trump-affiliated committees violated federal reporting requirements based on a scheme in which the committees reportedly paid over $7.2 million — described as “reimbursement for legal” costs or expenses — to a compliance/reporting vendor, Red Curve Solutions, LLC (Red Curve), managed by Bradley Crate, the treasurer for all five of the committees. On its face, the committees’ reports appear to indicate that Red Curve advanced or paid legal fees for services provided by other vendors, then received reimbursement from the committees, thus obscuring from the public who was actually being paid, and how much they were being paid, to provide legal services. CLC’s complaint further alleged that Red Curve unlawfully made, and the five committees knowingly accepted, excessive or prohibited corporate contributions arising from this legal expense payment scheme.