Spike in GOP Small-Dollar Donations Draws Federal Scrutiny

Adav Noti, general counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, called the unitemized process a “mixed blessing.” “There are many ways in which the system is better off with lots of small donors. It’s really hard for lots of small donors to buy an officeholder. Whereas large donors can call in favors, a small donor can’t do that, so from an anti-corruption perspective there’s a benefit,” Noti said. He added that while the FEC “does a pretty decent job staying on top of” unitemized reporting, “there were certainly whispers” about the Trump campaign’s numbers “and whether they were in fact under $200 or from lawful sources.”

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