NEW YORK (AP) — The United States Federal Election Commission has fined the three committees $53,100 in connection with former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s failed 2020 Democratic presidential primary bid.
The commission, known as the FEC, noted that de Blasio’s 2020 campaign committee accepted inappropriate contributions from two political action committees that de Blasio and others had created: the Fairness PAC and the NY Fairness PAC, and did not disclose the donations in campaign records.
The FEC’s move came in response to a 2019 complaint by the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center alleging that the campaign had “crafted a ruse” to allow donors to contribute to De’s presidential candidacy. Blasio exceeded the legal limits by funneling the money through the two committees.
The FEC said in an April 19 brief closing the case that de Blasio’s campaign committee admitted it accepted $52,851.89 from the NY Fairness PAC for travel and digital services, and $123,000 from the Fairness PAC for surveys.
The commission said de Blasio’s campaign has agreed to pay the fine and amend its filings with the FEC.
Peter Ragone, adviser to de Blasio, said in a statement on Friday that “there were some accounting errors and we have worked immediately to correct them. We’re glad we got it sorted out.”
De Blasio, whose second term as New York mayor ended last year, announced in May 2019 that he would seek that election cycle’s Democratic presidential nomination, but his campaign never gained broad support and he called it off months later.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
