The principal campaign committee fund-raising for Bernie Sanders is accepting donations from non-U.S. citizens, which is prohibited under federal law. Bernie 2016 was accepting these donations as far back as 2015 and as late as January 2016.
As a result, hundreds of Foreign Nationals must have their prohibited contributions to the Bernie Sanders’ campaign returned.
A week ago, the Treasurer of Bernie 2016, the principal campaign committee for Bernie Sanders, responded to a Federal Elections Commission review of its 2015 Year End report. Susan Jackson, the official handling the finances, was obligated under federal law to answer this Request for Additional Information (RFAI).
The Commission had combed through the reports filed by the committee for 2015 and found 43 pages of potential violations. These issues included everything from failed disclosure to faulty accounting to excessive donations and prohibited contributions by Foreign Nationals.
Jackson’s reply to the FEC admitted that 106 contributors could not be verified as U.S. Citizens or legal residents and that their donations would be refunded (See full list below). The names of these donors was listed; but the exact amount of their donations was not revealed.
View the official 43-page FEC Request For Additional Information, dated 11 February 2016.
For more details on Jackson’s response, see Bernie 2016 Returns 200+ Donations to Remedy Campaign Finance Issues from 2015
However, this was just the first round of problems for the campaign committee. When Bernie 2016 filed its report for the month of January, still more donations were flagged.
On 25 February, the FEC sent an RFAI covering January 2016. Once again, impermissible donations from people with addresses outside the U.S. were found. Again, the Treasurer for Sanders’ campaign fund-raiser was reminded of federal laws:
Schedule A-P (see attached) discloses a contribution(s) from an individual(s) who has a mailing address outside of the United States of America. Please be advised that 52 U.S.C. § 30121(a) (formerly 2 U.S.C. § 441e(a)) and 11 CFR § 110.20 prohibit foreign nationals from making contributions in connection with any election for political office or in connection with any primary election, convention, or caucus held to select candidates for any political office.
The FEC ordered Jackson to comply with these laws by 31 March:
If you have received a contribution from a foreign national, you must refund the impermissible contribution to the donor in accordance with 11CFR § 103.3(b). Please inform the Commission of your corrective action immediately in writing and provide a photocopy of your check for the refund. (25 February 2016 RFAI)
On 25 March, Bernie 2016 filed an amended report to the FEC, showing refunds to individuals totaling $684,455.53. The amended report covers several months in 2015. It’s not clear whether the refunds were for excessive contributions or prohibited donations by Foreign Nationals or something else.
Bernie 2016 has yet to report its campaign finance disclosure for February.
SUSAN JACKSON’S RESPONSE TO THE RFAI of 11 FEBRUARY 2016
The Committee did not receive confirmation of citizenship or residence status and therefore issued refunds earlier this month to the following donors. These refunds will be reflected in the Committee’s April Monthly Report.
- Aaron Atkins
- Aaron Windel
- Abigail Yue Wang
- Alaa Ujayli
- Alan Groves
- Aleksander Waage
- Alisaun Fukugaki
- Anallee Pepper
- Anders Ecklof
- Anthony Curwen
- Bradley Goodman
- Brooke Lhernould
- Bruce Stores
- Charles Grinstead
- Charles Newman
- Cheryl Mathieu
- Christopher Kraybill
- Clive Moon
- Craig Higgins
- Dale Dreckman
- Daniel Boyd
- Daniel Coffey
- Darla Nordstrom
- David Borgendale
- David Peacock
- David Thompson
- Deaglan McManus
- Donald Ferrin
- Donnette Thayer
- Dorothy Dufour
- Douglas Kent
- Erik Hardeng
- Frederick Woolworth
- Gary Cornelius
- Gary Gebhardt
- Grant Lovering
- Harry Bingham
- Imre Bidtnes
- J Doherty
- Jane Piper
- Janis Kenyon
- Jay Van de Wint
- Jedediah Sklower
- Jerimy Abner
- John Graves
- John McCreery
- John Painter
- Jonathan Sachs
- Jonathan Schlaff
- Karl Ehrlich
- Karl Kaufman
- Kelly Morrissey
- Kim McQuaite
- Kylie Gutry
- Larry Tabick
- Laurent Normand
- Laurie Bloom
- Leslie Bellas
- Linn Peterson
- Malinda Crispin
- Margaret Kelly
- Mark Collins
- Mark Harrick
- Mark Hodge
- Mark Tipperman
- Markus Buechting
- Mary De Lyrot
- Michael Hitzhusen
- Michael Sever
- Mike Mills
- Miya Tokumitsu
- Nicholas Reckert
- Niki Korda
- Ossie Sharon
- Pamela Price
- Paula Chavez
- Peter Claghorn
- Pymma Zatyz Handayani
- Randal Richins
- Raquel Luzi Steiner
- Robert Costanza
- Ronald Davis
- Ronald Phillips
- Ross Dunne
- Russell Westbrook
- Rustyn Mesdag
- Sam Wise
- Sean Gentry
- Sophie Siebert
- Stephanie Miller
- Stephen Stapleton
- Susan Bloom
- Susan Savage
- Susan Swift
- Susan Woudenberg
- Tahir Sharif
- Terence Kim
- Terrance Wapshall
- Thomas McNamara
- Thomas Shuler
- Tracy Wyman
- Victor Policheri
- Walter Hedrick
- William Clay
- William Sherlock
- Woodruff Benson
The FEC compiled the list from the donor data submitted by the campaign.
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That’s correct. Then the campaign confirmed that yes, indeed, those contributors were not U.S. citizens or legal residents, and refunded their donations.
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It seems the only people capable of compiling this list would be the Sanders campaign. Sounds like they included the number of donations that came in from foreign donors in their report to the FEC.
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The non-Federal non-government affiliated U.S. Chamber of Commerce collects bribes from foreign governments and corporations, and pores them into U.S. Elections. The scale of these gifts is likely many thousand times the illegal donations to Bernie Sanders. Balancing truth with a truth of scale is also important. Any abdication of that duty lends the taint of half truth to an article.
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Maybe so but it’s illegal for Bernie Sanders campaign to do this and this is nothing new. Why don’t we just ask Bernie Sanders about it?
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Thanks Hillary surrogate
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This is a false equivalency.
The Chamber of Commerce is legally allowed to donate to political campaigns, thanks to Citizens United.
Foreign citizens are not legally allowed to donate to U.S. political campaigns.
This isn’t about “scale”. It’s about legality.
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Why isn’t this in the news?
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I have no idea but it’s illegal to accept money from foreign sources for any candidate running for office in this country. The FEC has a very long list online (do a google) of the infractions of Sen. Sanders Campaign in a long letter to the Sanders Campaign letting them know it’s illegal. (Google (http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/619…docquery.fed.gov) this affidavit is correct and as presented in this article.
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