May 2, 2016
Contact: Michael Briggs
Politico Exposes Clinton Campaign ‘Money-Laundering’ Scheme
BURLINGTON,
Vt. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, on
Monday criticized a Hillary Clinton campaign fundraising scheme that
state party leaders told Politico has been used as a
self-serving “money-laundering" conduit.
Despite
Clinton’s pledges to rebuild state parties, Politico found that less
than 1 percent of the $61 million raised by the Victory Fund has stayed
in the state parties’ coffers.
“Secretary Clinton is looting
funds meant for the state parties to skirt fundraising limits on her
presidential campaign,” Weaver said. “We think the Clinton campaign
should let the state parties keep their fair share of the cash.”
Sanders’
and Clinton’s primary campaigns both raised about $26 million in April,
but Politico documented how the Hillary Victory Fund, a supposedly
joint fundraising committee, has been exploited to inflate her
presidential primary campaign.
“Secretary Clinton has exploited
the rules in ways that let her high-dollar donors like Alice Walton of
Wal-Mart fame and the actor George Clooney and his super-rich Hollywood
friends skirt legal limits on campaign contributions,” Weaver added.
“If Secretary Clinton can't raise the funds needed to run in a
competitive primary without resorting to laundering, how will she
compete against Donald Trump in a general election?”
The Sanders
campaign first raised questions about the arrangement in an April 18
letter from Brad Deutsch, the attorney for Sanders’ campaign, to U.S.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the DNC.
"Hillary
Clinton says that campaign finance reform is one of the most important
issues facing our country but her campaign's use of the Victory Fund to
essentially launder money proves otherwise," Weaver said. "You cannot
exploit a broken campaign finance system one day and vow to get big
money out of politics the next."
Sanders last month raised money
for three progressive Democratic candidates for the House of
Representatives. Unlike the Hillary Victory Fund, every dollar went
directly to helping the candidates. The senator has also raised
significant sums for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.