2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumSanders aide: Clinton got 'almost all of the money' from Clooney fundraiser
"A top aide to Democratic presidential Bernie Sanders says a fundraiser hosted by actor George Clooney is only benefiting Hillary Clinton, not any down-ballot Democratic candidates.
This fundraising arrangement that George Clooney and others have donated into believing that theyre giving money to the down-ballot candidates, two-thirds of that money is going actually to Hillary Clinton, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said on MSNBC on Monday.
Only a third has been going to down-ballot candidates, he added. "In addition to that, $15 million of that money has gone into other operations that primarily benefit only Secretary Clinton.
It seems as its not working as its supposed to, which is to benefit the Party and down-ballot. Almost all of the money is going to Hillary Clinton.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/276694-sanders-aide-on-clooney-fundraiser-clinton-gets-almost
I think we will find out who's right soon enough.
msongs
(67,413 posts)by the bernsters, like his stunt trip to rome
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)Even tho the money is coming in to supposedly help down ticket dems.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)We will see.
I believe a lawsuit has been filed so it's a matter for the courts now.
I have patience.
Gothmog
(145,291 posts)Prof Hasen analysis on these silly claims http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81996
Heres the deal. Clinton, like Sanders and other presidential candidates, has set up a joint fundraising committee with her political party. The JFC allows you to raise a huge chunk of change (more now than in past campaigns, thanks to the Supreme Court blowing out the aggregate federal limits in the McCutcheon case). A small bit goes to the candidates committee under the federal limits (currently $2,700 for the primary and $2,700 for the general). The next bit goes to the DNC, and the rest so state parties in $10,000 chunks. Sanders is accusing the joint committee of raising really big donations, and then having the JFC using some of those really big donations to engage in direct mail and internet targeting of small donors. When those small donors donate small amounts, contributions up to the first $2,700 benefit Clinton under the JFC agreement, and because these are small donors, it means Clinton gets all that small donor money.
The Deutsch letter cites no authority showing that this use of the JFC is not allowed, and it is hard to see what provision of the law it violates when donors give only small amounts that happen to benefit only Clinton. The letter says that maybe this is like an in-kind contribution from the DNC to the Clinton campaign, but I dont see how it is that if the money is coming from the JFC not from the committee. The letter even says this means that those giving big checks to the DNC might thereby be giving more than the $2,700 to Clinton, which is not literally trueit is what the JFC is doing with the money, over which the donors have no control.
So legally this seems weak.
And politically, it is quite odd for Sanders, who would need the DNCs support to win the presidency should be be the Democratic nominee, to be attacking the DNC. (Then again, Trump has relentlessly attacked the RNC, so this must be the celebration of the season.)