Questions raised about source of late funds that helped carry Rep. Lori Trahan to victory
If campaign money comes from anyone else — even a spouse — it is subject to the current contribution limit of $2,700, according to Federal Election Commission rules. “The discrepancies between the supposed personal loans and her financial disclosures seem unlikely to have an innocent explanation,” said Adav Noti, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign finance expert, who reviewed her filings at the Globe’s request. Noti, Senior Director with the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said Trahan’s filings contain so many discrepancies that it’s impossible to determine where her funding came from. “The whole reason we have campaign finance disclosure laws is that voters have a right to know who is financing a candidate’s campaign when they decide who they’re voting for,” Noti, a former FEC senior attorney, said.