Trump Interview a 'brazen' Violation of Federal Election Law

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Trump's lengthy interview with Musk on Monday "violated" federal rules banning corporations from making contributions to federal candidates, and barring federal candidates from accepting such contributions," alleged the complaint filed Tuesday by the group End Citizens United.

Posted by qcp at 08:33 PM | 43 COMMENTS | permalink

Comments

Criminal commits more crimes.

Film at 11

#1 | Posted by Nixon at 2024-08-14 09:17 AM

"... the group End Citizens United."

endcitizensunited.org

Now there's a worthwhile cause!

Not surprised. It sure felt like a violation. But campaign laws are being undermined so fast it's hard to keep up.

But, of course, it's hard to tell anyway because I feel violated every time Trumpy opens his yap.

I feel violated every time Trumpy opens his yap.
Posted by donnerboy

Not surprised your skin is that thin.

But I am surprised you'd outright admit it.

I'd be reluctant to call it an interview.

It was more like a mutual cheering session.

"Not surprised your skin is that thin."

And I am not surprised that you are not offended by the things he says and does.

Or maybe you are just too afraid of him to admit it.

It was more like a mutual cheering session.

#5 | POSTED BY LAMPLIGHTER

More like a mutual tongue bathing.

And apparently a violation of campaign finance laws.

Democratic PAC files FEC complaint over Trump-Musk interview

thehill.com

-Or maybe you are just too afraid of him to admit it.

You have nothing to offer, do you?

afraid of him? I'm voting against him.

You're voting against him.

But you feel violated when he speaks.......got it.

#8 | POSTED BY EBERLY

And you don't feel violated and or offended by his constant lies and attempts to undermine our Democratic institutions and our democracy.

Got it.

-And you don't feel violated and or offended by his constant lies and attempts to undermine our Democratic institutions and our democracy.

I don't have the capacity to feel violated over an election. I'll have a drink, take a shower, and tomorrow the sun will come up and I'll move forward.

You think you get extra points for "feeling violated" or "offended"?

You don't. You're just affected because you are......you think you get points for it, I guess.

Again, you and I will vote the same. Same actions. Same feelings? clearly not.

Our feelings separate us. I can live with it.

#10 | POSTED BY EBERLY

Umm ok. Are you a bot with no feelings?

Regardless I would bet there is more than just "feelings" that are separating us.

"I'll have a drink, take a shower, and tomorrow the sun will come up and wI'll move forward."

The sun does not always come up for everyone. And someday it won't come up for you either.

If you didn't care and if you really had no feelings you wouldn't waste your time hanging out here. You would be in the shower. I bet you have much more fun with yourself in there than you have here with me!

-Regardless I would bet there is more than just "feelings" that are separating us.

such as?

-The sun does not always come up for everyone

So now Trump is going to take the sun away from you. No wonder you feel violated when Trump talks.

I didn't mean to get you all lathered up over the thought of me in the shower.

But that's okay.

Posted by donnerboy

That dirtbag's not worth wasting time on.

"So now Trump is going to take the sun away from you."

You actually think I think Trumpy is in charge of the sun?

Maybe you have been staring at it too long. Like he has.

We been at this a while ... have we solved anything?

Time for a shower?

I just don't get Beverly at all.

What a ------ up life she must lead.

name 1 thing you do get, legallychangedhandles4times?

-have we solved anything?

No.

I'll shower later

This is so absurd. It's a political stunt that will go nowhere.

It's almost as if the left forgets that 1A exists.

Republican posters here are SO defensive these days... it's almost like their Party became a Cult of Personality for a criminal con artist and traitor to the Constitution.

And, rather than taking a stand, getting offa the Fence so to speak, like Lincoln Project Republicans do, they hang around creating obfuscative excuses for their Party instead.

That's a shame, really, when Republicans for Harris is a thing.

www.npr.org

It's almost as if the left forgets that 1A exists.

#19 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-08-14 07:26 PM | Reply

For someone who screeches originalism. You obviously don't know what the 1A protects hint it's not corporations because they were barred from giving money to political candidates when the first amendment was ratified. Just sayin

Money and speech are not the same thing. If Musk is funneling actual money to the Trump campaign in an illegal manner, that's one thing, but the silly interview should not be lumped in with that.

he funneled money in providing the technology, the people (many people) to pull this off. It is a direct contribution based on Election law.

@#24 ... Business interests spent $3.5 billion on federal political contributions during the 2022 cycle ...

... and yer point is?

@#22 ... Money and speech are not the same thing. ...

In many respects, they are.

Money buys, for example, TV ads that reach millions of people.

Are those TV ads not speech?

Harris, Trump Duel Over the Airwaves With $247 Million Ad War
www.bnnbloomberg.ca

... The entry of Vice President Kamala Harris into the presidential race is injecting millions of dollars worth of television ads daily into an expanded map of battleground states, reflecting a newly competitive election against former President Donald Trump. ...

" off. It is a direct contribution based on Election law.

#23 | POSTED BY YAV AT 2024-08-14 09:44 PM | FLAG: "

That's like saying Bezos publishing an interview in WaPo is a direct violation for the same reasons stated.

I feel like we are living in some kind of bizarro world. Prior to 2020 consensus was the more we saw and learned about our candidates the better off and more informed we all are. All of a sudden the left wants to keep not just their own candidates almost completely hidden (understandable) but also their opposition? Given how horrific y'all claim Trump, Vance, the GOP and tens of millions of their supporters to be I think that you all would embrace giving them allxsortsofcrope to bang themselves - figuratively, not literally.

@#28 ... That's like saying Bezos publishing an interview in WaPo is a direct violation for the same reasons stated. ...

Your current alias is drawing an apparent equivalence, but I see nothing in your current alias' comment to substantiate why that attempted equivalence is valid.

What's yer got?

Money buys, for example, TV ads that reach millions of people.

Are those TV ads not speech?

A question largely addressed by Citizens United. I had not chalked you up as a fan. Welcome aboard.

@#30 ... A question largely addressed by Citizens United. ...

Yeah.

And, imo, that SCOTUS decision is the problem.

... Welcome aboard. ...

Not necessarily a fan, but one who reads your comments with interest because of their factual-based nature.

I'll disagree with your comments here and there, but I do respect their basis.

OK, that aside.

I hope to see more of your comments in the future....

What a bunch of whiny -------

Prediction: this law suite goes nowhere.

but at least the group endcitizensunited.org is getting some free-ish publicity.

Personally I find legallyyourdead's commentary a lot more useful per word and occasionally newsworthy than 80 percent of the blather that's ever posted here. If you're saying it in 75 words here, you've said the same things the same time somewhere else, for years, endlessly.

Give me more LYD than the usual partisan, in paragraphs, crap. If everything isn't perfectly obvious by now, nothing's gonna change for anyone. Bomb throwers are good, as long as occasionally funny.

Signed,
LYD's mom.

-- endorsed by DBT2

According to this article, filing a complaint with the FEC, regardless of its high profile is akin to locking the barn door after the horse is stolen.

"One problem for End Citizens United: such complaints to the FEC often take months, if not years, to investigate and debate, and it's highly unlikely the bipartisan commission of three Republicans and three Democrats will reach a resolution before the presidential election on Nov. 5.

The FEC's six commissioners, who are frequently divided along ideological lines, often deadlock on high-profile and matters, too, with tie votes of 3-3 leading to the dismissal of a case."

So all the arguments among yourselves on this site are an exercise in futility. Your opinion only counts on November 5th.

Try to bankrupt him, jail him, allow someone to try and shoot him and now shut down his free speech all to "save democracy".

"Try to bankrupt him, jail him, allow someone to try and shoot him and now shut down his free speech all to "save democracy".
#37 | POSTED BY FISHPAW AT 2024-08-16 10:52 AM"

- Try to bankrupt him'
Really? Mr. Trump has done that numerous times all by himself. If it weren't for the financial lifesavers tossed to him by his family connections and the seemingly bottomless well of the MAGA supporters, he'd have been completely bankrupted LONG ago without any attacks from the political forces that you allude to.

- jail him'
So, the Party of Law and Order doesn't actually support Law & Order? Shocking! It's apparent that their objection is Mr. Trump is being punished NOT for being innocent of his crimes but for being EXPOSED for his crimes. Their preferred course of action? Game the system and move the goalposts.

- allow someone to try and shoot him'
ROFLMAO!!! This might be the most ludicrous canard yet. No evidence to date has indicated any support for this totally unfounded claim.

- and now shut down his free speech'
Seriously? As if there were a single day that Mr. Trump hasn't been in the news freely spewing whatever he wants. If that's not enough, I'd suggest he gets on the stand in court to expound his story. Of course, that would be under oath so it might be problematic. LOL!

How is being interviewed while running for office a criminal act?

I will NEVER vote for the guy, but ... .. how is him being interviewed by Elon musk any different that being interviewed on Fox News?

Both are going throw softballs and paint him in a slavering positive light. Yet somehow one is a violation of law?

Anything leftists oppose is illegal and against the law. Everyone should know that by now.

I am not sure how it was illegal, Musk/X has offered the same to Harris.

Equal time I think is the rule isn't it. If she declines, well its sort of her problem isn't it?

The long form is so much better than a presser, or debate.

@#41 ... Anything leftists oppose is illegal and against the law. Everyone should know that by now. ...

How was it legal?

From what I saw, an enthusiastic supporter of fmr Pres Trump put up the money to stage a significant campaign event.

@#42 ... Musk/X has offered the same to Harris. ...

Not the same terms by any rational measure.

Has Mr Musk expressed his support of VP Harris' campaign?

Musk's full-throated backing of Trump is uncharted territory for a tech boss (July 2024)
www.theguardian.com

... Minutes after Donald Trump announced that he had selected JD Vance as his running mate, Elon Musk rushed to endorse the two Republican candidates to his 190 million followers on the social network that he owns. The tech billionaire proclaimed on X, formerly Twitter, that the ticket "resounds with victory". ...

Has Mr Musk said he would donate $45 million a month to a PAC he set up to assure VP Harris' win?

Elon Musk Has Said He Is Committing Around $45 Million a Month to a New Pro-Trump Super PAC (July 2024)
www.wsj.com

... Elon Musk has said he plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee backing former President Donald Trump's presidential run, according to people familiar with the matter. ...