The complaint alleges that mystery donors used an obscure limited liability company to secretly provide $500,000 to the Trump-affiliated super PAC Make America Great Again, Again!, Inc.

Washington, D.C. - Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that “ML Organization, LLC,” William Pulte and other unidentified individuals violated federal campaign finance laws in connection with a $500,000 contribution made to a pro-Trump super PAC.

The complaint alleges that ML Organization was not the true source of a $500,000 contribution made in its name to Make America Great Again, Again! Inc. — which brands itself as the "ONLY Trump approved super PAC" and has plans to support Trump-endorsed candidates in the 2022 midterm elections — and that Pulte (or another unidentified person) was the true contributor. That $500,000 is the single largest contribution the super PAC has ever reported receiving.

“Voters have a right to know when wealthy special interests are spending money to influence elections and rig the political system in their favor. Shell companies like ML Organization, LLC are often used to funnel secret money to super PACs, concealing the true contributor’s identity,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center. “The facts indicate that this LLC is a straw donor and not the true source of this $500,000 contribution, an illegal tactic that erodes transparency.”

CLC uncovered that in 2016, Pulte purchased the residential property at the address for ML Organization disclosed on FEC reports, and Pulte has personally used that address in multiple filings with the state of Florida related to companies that he manages or directs. Pulte has made multiple contributions since 2016 but always disclosed a different address — the office location for one of his businesses — in connection with those contributions. As such, there is no connection on FEC disclosure reports between Pulte and the ML Organization address.

There is no record of ML Organization having any business activity or generating any income since it was registered as a Delaware domestic limited liability company (LLC) in April 2018. That lack of activity or income indicates that ML Organization lacked the means to contribute $500,000 without receiving funds for that purpose.

The complaint concludes, based on the available facts, that ML Organization is most likely owned and operated by Pulte or someone else in his household and was used as a conduit to funnel $500,000 to a super PAC, such that both ML Organization and Pulte (and/or the other unidentified contributors) violated the Federal Election Campaign Act’s straw donor ban.

Straw donor contributions like those alleged here are serious violations of federal campaign finance law that have led to criminal indictments and convictions in recent years. In some cases, straw donor schemes have even been used to conceal corruption or foreign influence in American elections.

At Campaign Legal Center, we are advancing democracy through law. Learn more about our work.

Judge Finds Gerrymandered Congressional Maps Violate Kansas Constitution, Orders Legislature to Redraw Maps Ahead of 2022 Election 

Kansas City, KS — Today, in a win for fair maps, a Kansas district court ruled that the state’s recently enacted congressional map constituted a partisan gerrymander and intentionally diluted the voting power of racial minorities, violating the Kansas Constitution.

Campaign Legal Center and the ACLU of Kansas, along with pro bono assistance from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, filed the suit in Wyandotte County District Court earlier this year on behalf of 11 Kansas voters.

“Kansas voters of all parties and races deserve fair and neutral maps that take community input into account and allow all voters to make their voices heard,” said Paul Smith, senior vice president at Campaign Legal Center. “With the 2022 election around the corner, it is more important than ever that Kansans feel confident that their vote counts.”

“We are thankful that Judge Klapper saw this map for what it was – a deliberate attempt to silence the political voices of Democratic and minority Kansans,” said Sharon Brett, the ACLU of Kansas’ legal director. “Although we know this case is not over yet, we look forward to settling this issue and securing the rights of our clients in the Kansas Supreme Court.”

The suit, Alonzo et al. v. Schwab, was filed on behalf of 10 plaintiffs who live in Johnson or Wyandotte counties and one plaintiff who lives in Lawrence. It successfully argued that the map cracks the most racially diverse county in Kansas in half to dilute the voices of Democratic and minority voters.

The lawsuit argued that the congressional map constitutes a partisan gerrymander and intentionally dilutes the voting power of minorities violating the Equal Rights and Political Power Clauses, Free Speech and Free Assembly Clauses and the Right to Suffrage provisions of the Kansas Constitution.

The Kansas Legislature passed the map, dubbed “Ad Astra 2,” in a process that took less than two weeks, ignored public input and required an override of Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto. Partisan intent was evident from the outset of the redistricting cycle when the then-Senate President announced her plan to lock in one-party control.

The court blocked the gerrymandered maps from taking effect and ordered that the Kansas Legislature to return to the drawing board and produce fair maps that ensure every voter has an equal voice ahead of the 2022 election. 

At Campaign Legal Center, we are advancing democracy through law. Learn more about our work.