Buttigieg and super PAC improperly coordinated on Nevada ads, watchdog group says

A campaign finance watchdog group has filed a complaint alleging that the presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg improperly coordinated with VoteVets, a super PAC supporting the campaign of the former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

In the complaint, filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission, the Campaign Legal Center alleged that Buttigieg’s campaign improperly accepted more than $639,000 in contributions, in violation of federal rules barring candidates from coordinating with independent groups that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.

The complaint centers on a tweet by Buttigieg senior strategist Michael Halle analyzing the strengths of a particular campaign message in Nevada, and a subsequent ad campaign in that state by VoteVets that appeared to follow the strategy outlined in the tweet.

“Pete’s military experience and closing message from Iowa work everywhere especially in Nevada where it’s critical they see this on the air through the caucus,” Halle tweeted Feb. 5, apparently in reference to Buttigieg’s final pitch to voters that he is their best option for unifying the party.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/buttigieg-and-his-super-pac-improperly-coordinated-on-nevada-ads-watchdog-group-says/2020/02/18/e46609ae-5273-11ea-b119-4faabac6674f_story.html