‘Clear indication’: Dems accuse GOP congressional candidate of illegal super PAC ties

Michigan’s state Democratic committee has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, accusing a Republican congressional candidate of illegally coordinating with a super PAC funded by his brother, Raw Story has learned.

The letter, from Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes, questions the circumstances surrounding what initially appeared to be a $1 million contribution by Paul Hudson, a Republican candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, to the West Michigan for Change super PAC, which is supporting his candidacy.

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Because Paul Hudson is wealthy, the complaint says, the contribution itself “while unusual … was plausible.” A reporter for the Detroit News spotted the donation, listed on a public FEC filing, and reached out to Hudson’s campaign to ask about it.

But within 30 minutes of receiving the Detroit News inquiry, Barnes’ complaint alleges, West Michigan for Change amended its FEC filing to say the $1 million did not come Paul Hudson but from his brother, Ryan Hudson.

Paul Hudson’s campaign did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment. Ryan Hudson couldn’t be reached.

The FEC does not generally confirm the existence of legal complaints or investigations until it formally concludes an investigation. An FEC spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether or not the FEC received the letter.

It’s illegal for federal political campaigns to directly coordinate with a super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. Super PACs can’t give directly to a federal campaign but can indirectly support candidates through their own advertising and advocacy.

Barnes’ letter called the Michigan case a “clear indication of coordination.”

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“Notably, the correction in the reported donor was made within 30 minutes after the campaign was contacted by the media for comments, but before any contact was made with the Super PAC by the media,” the letter said. “This suggests that the campaign was aware of the filing details of the Super PAC, an action that may indicate coordination, which is prohibited.”

Barnes is asking the FEC to investigate the Hudson transaction and “any financial transactions or shared strategy discussions that might further demonstrate coordination beyond what is permissible under current campaign finance laws.”

The FEC is a bipartisan regulatory agency that can issue civil fines and other non-criminal penalties for federal campaign finance violations.

But the FEC’s six-member commission — no more than three members may be from one political party — often disagree along ideological lines and deadlock on high-profile matters.

The investigation and disposition of a single complaint will often take the FEC months, and sometimes years, to complete.

Michigan's congressional primary is Aug. 6. Hudson is running in a Republican primary against three other candidates, according to election tracker Ballotpedia, with the winner poised to face the winner of the Democratic primary, which will likely be Rep. Hillary Scholten, a freshman member of the U.S. House.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as "competitive," but barely, predicting a "likely Democrat" winner.