Campaign Legal Center Files FEC Complaint Against US Senate Candidate Royce White for Misappropriating and Misreporting Campaign Funds
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), alleging that Royce White, U.S. Senate candidate from Minnesota, had reportedly misappropriated over $157,000 worth of funds from his 2022 congressional campaign for personal expenses, and has failed to report to the FEC how his 2024 Senate campaign is spending its money, depriving voters of this critical information they are entitled to have when deciding how to vote.
The misappropriation and misreporting of campaign funds by Royce White’s campaigns appear to constitute knowing and willful violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act’s (or “FECA”) bedrock requirements that not only prohibit candidates from using campaign funds to pay for their personal expenses, but also require them to regularly file accurate reports with the FEC disclosing any contributions received and disbursements made in support of their candidacy.
Saurav Ghosh, CLC’s director of federal campaign finance reform, said, “Transparency about how candidates are spending their campaign funds allows voters to make informed choices when voting, and helps ensure that candidates are held accountable if they unlawfully use donors’ money to pay for their personal expenses. Royce White appears to have brazenly violated the federal laws that foster transparency and accountability in our elections, by first using his 2022 campaign’s account to pay for personal expenses—including clothing, fitness, and entertainment charges, along with siphoning off a six-figure sum through checks and wire transfers—and then wholly failing to report his 2024 Senate campaign’s disbursements. It is imperative that the FEC investigate these apparent violations of the campaign finance laws that safeguard our elections from financial malfeasance.”
Despite the bid falling short, funds from Royce White’s 2022 congressional campaign were used to pay over $157,000 in personal expenses – from clothes, cosmetics, and night clubs to opaque checks and wire transfers. Now, amid his current campaign for U.S. Senator, Royce White’s Senate campaign has reported receiving $8,100 in contributions, but reported only one disbursement of just $216.38 for a credit card processing fee. Although it appears White’s Senate campaign has spent additional sums in support of his candidacy, the campaign has failed to report any such spending.
Voters have a right to factual and timely reporting from campaigns on any money raised and spent in their favor before an election, and to rest assured that candidates are not spending donors’ money to pay their personal expenses. The FEC must investigate what appears to be clear violations of federal campaign finance law by Royce White and his 2022 and 2024 campaigns.