FEC Cites Sanders Campaign For Fundraising Violations

Page 1 of the FEC letter to the Sanders campaign.
From the blog Go Blindly by TAWhite:

Bernie2016, the fundraising machine of the Bernie Sanders campaign, has been cited for campaign finance violations that include over $23 million in unitemized contributions in a recent letter from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

The 43-page letter, dated 11 February 2016, lists ten separate violation areas and calls for a response by 17 March 2016.  The letter is a preliminary review of Bernie2016’s Year-End Report covering 2015.

Violations cited by the FEC include the following:

1. Incorrect Totals on Detailed Summary Page.
2. $23,421034.08 in unitemized receipts on Line 17(a)(ii) of the Detailed Summary Page.
3. Multiple contributions in excess of the maximum donation amount per election year.
4. Prohibited contributions from foreign nationals.
5. Potential excessive contributions from Southwestern Adventist University and MassMutual.
6. Insufficient descriptions of itemized disbursements.
7. Missing information for a disbursement to a People’s Bank credit card.
8. Petty cash disbursements in excess of the maximum $100.
9. Missing information related to reimbursements.
10. Missing required information for travel reimbursements in excess of $500.

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A deeper look into the FEC letter reveals individual contributions far exceeding the $27 average donation often boasted by Sanders. Contributions for $1000, $2000 and even $5000 are often listed. One contributor donated up to 5o times on a single day, apparently hoping to outwit campaign finance regulations. Bill Maher, talk show host and political commentator, is also listed for his $5400 contribution to Bernie2016. The FEC letter lists 162 prohibited donations from individuals identified as foreign nationals. A crosscheck with another campaign tracking site reveals that several donations came from people who previously donated to Rand Paul.

Contributors to Bernie2016 for 2015 Cited as Excessive, Prohibited and Impermissable Contributions by FEC:

• Adcock, Daniel
• Allen, Yoko
• Anixter, Martin
• Ariely, Dan
• Arthaud, Katherine
• Barber, Vera M.
• Bartlett, James
• Beaudry, Scott
• Bedard, Marcia
• Bellamy, Ray E.
• Braus, Nancy K.
• Brunet, Bonnie
• Caleb, Anna Taylor
• Caper, Robert
• Carel, Kirstin
• Chigier, Shelly Dews
• Connell, Liam
• Courts, Sam
• Dahan, Richard
• Dean, Peter
• Dehlsen, Deanna C.
• DeLima, Barbara
• Dolphin, Gabrielle
• Doughney, Michael
• Drey, Jr. Charles
• Eggleston, James
• Eklund, Kyle
• Endsley, Tyler
• Eskew, John
• Feili, Omran
• Forbes, Jeff
• Frick, Ann
• Girard, George
• Grassechi, Barbara
• Gutry, Kylie
• Hacker-Delany, Iva
• Hale, John T.
• Hall, Deidre
• Hallett, Jeffrey
• Harris, Jennifer
• Haugerud, Susan
• Henderson, Kenneth
• Hill, Victoria
• Hinds, Colleen
• Jones, Jim
• Kirk, John
• Klass,Katherine
• Kohl, Victor
• Lai, Christine
• Lamagna, Dal
• Lapple, Joshua
• Lennon, Francis
• Lennon, Frank J.
• Lockwood, Todd R.
• Maher, Bill
• McChesney, Amy
• McInerney, Brian
• McPherson, James
• Mirra, Maria
• Mishkin, Eben
• Moe, Jeff
• Morris, Stephen C.
• Munro, Scott
• Myersough, Michael
• Nataf, Collette
• Oldfather, Bob
• Oswalt, Patton
• Palmer, Gerald
• Pew, Benjamin
• Phouthavong, Sisouvanh
• Post, Diane
• Rabinowitz, John
• Rhodes, Lee
• Ridder, Kim
• Salm, Antonia
• Sasso, Paul
• Scaramucci, Janis
• Scherer, Janna
• Sheer, Jonathon
• Sheriden, James E.
• Smillie, William
• Sparks, Twana L.
• Spight, Lana K.
• Carl, Stamm
• Stanley, Symon
• Stark, Lisa
• Stone, Andrew
• Stone, Katie
• Van Tassell, Richard
• Virkar, Anil
• Walden, Barbara J.
• Waller, Peter W.
• Warhol, Elisa
• Weinert, Ronald
• White, Hayden
• Wiznitzer, Mark
• Woff, Robert
• Wray, Patty