The set of political groups using Scott B. Mackenzie as their treasurer certainly can’t be accused of sitting on the money they raise: Consulting firms rake in cash, donor lists are sold from one group to another in the same network, hefty legal bills are paid. In fact, their spending outpaces their revenue — but there are almost no donations to candidates, and in the end, small donors wind up the losers.

Mackenzie serves as treasurer for nearly 30 political groups, several of which have drawn scrutiny previously for allegedly misleading donors about how they’ll use their money; that includes Conservative Strikeforce, the most well-known of the organizations. Quarterly disclosure reports filed by that group and five of Mackenzie’s other political action committees this week show that of more than $2.2 million raised by all six PACs from April through June, just $1,000 went to a political campaign, that of Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas). Gohmert hasn’t faced a real challenger since 2004.

Despite making only a single contribution, though, all the groups spent between 92 and 146 percent of what they raised during the quarter. That included a $25,308 payment by one PAC to Conservative Strikeforce for the “purchase of donor file names,” and a $25,000 outlay by Conservative Strikeforce for legal fees. Another of Mackenzie’s groups, Freedom’s Defense Fund, paid 69 percent of its income — most of which came in as donations smaller than $250 — to firms linked to Mackenzie.

“The extraordinarily high administrative expenses reported by these PACs should raise a red flag with any potential contributor,” said Brett Kappel, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer and expert on election law. “A charity that reported such high fundraising costs relative to contributions made would face a serious risk of an IRS audit.”

Mackenzie did not respond to requests for comment.

Urgent! World to end unless you send $!!!

To raise all this money, the PACs seek small donors by direct mail — persistently, and by conveying a sky-is-falling urgency. Both factors can be somewhat harrowing for recipients — but effective, as well. Jennifer Bell meticulously tracks on her blog, Drowning in Junk Mail, the mailers that a now-deceased extended family member still receives, including from Mackenzie’s groups.

“Can the country be saved after 8 years of Barack Obama?” read a Conservative Strikeforce letter sent to the relative last month. “I BELIEVE OUR COUNTRY CAN BE SAVED, BUT ONLY IF WE ELECT A CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT IN 2016!” (Emphasis in original.) The PAC asked for a check in the amount of $25, $50 or $100.

Bell said her relative, who died in February in southern California, asked family members for money repeatedly. Only when she broke her hip and had to be taken to the hospital did Bell’s family discover the woman had piles of junk mail blanketing the floor of her house, much of it from political groups that seemed to Bell to be highly questionable. By Bell’s count, the woman once received 154 pieces of junk mail in a week.

“She died penniless,” Bell said of her relative. “She took out a reverse mortgage on her house so she could give more money to junk mail and scammers.”

Bell has contacted the groups asking them to cease sending mail to her late relative. Though she’s cut the number of mailers down to 11 per month, Bell said, “I couldn’t get Conservative Strikeforce to stop.”

Absence of consequences

There are, of course, many individuals like Bell’s relative who believe the letters’ claims that their contributions are badly needed and will help a vital cause — like, say, saving the nation. So the money rolls in, but the overwhelming majority of it doesn’t roll out again to candidates. Indeed, most of the money raised by Mackenzie’s PACs winds up being used to pay for more mailers and solicitations. Together, all six PACs that filed disclosure forms on Monday spent close to $1.8 million on “PAC telemarketing solicitations” and direct mail for the same purpose.

A sizable chunk of that money went to firms linked back to Scott B. Mackenzie. One PAC, Freedom’s Defense Fund, paid three firms $613,405 between March and July; all three list an address on 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C. that, according to a 2009 FEC report, was the address of one of Mackenzie’s firms.

Though the FEC has this data, and has even sent letters to Conservative Strikeforce threatening an audit, the agency can’t act because it doesn’t have the authority. FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel said as much two weeks ago in an urgent plea for Congress to pass legislation that would allow the FEC to crack down on “scam PAC” hustles.

“The Department of Justice has authority to deal with fraud in the electoral arena, without question,” Ravel said on Wednesday. “With regard to the issues of scam PACs, they should be alerted and should be able to prosecute.”

Earlier this year Conservative Strikeforce settled a lawsuit filed by former Virginia attorney general and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, and the group was the subject of an FEC complaint from conservative firebrand and former Republican congressman Allen West (Fla.) in 2012. But critiques of the groups go back years.

Bell believes the facts are pretty clear. “If you dig into their finances, you can tell the money isn’t going anywhere,” she said.

PACs listing Scott B. Mackenzie as treasurer:

Conservative Majority Fund

Freedom’s Defense Fund

Tea Party Majority Fund

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Tea Party Victory Fund

Founded on Truth

The Conservative Strikeforce

Afghanistan & Iraq Veterans for Congress PAC

Bill Spadea for Congress

Black Republican PAC

Conservative Majority Super Fund

Freedom’s Defense Super Fund

Friends of Duane Sand 2012

Hispanics for a Conservative America

Man in the Arena

National Conservative Political Action Committee

New York Choice PAC II

Republican Member Senate Fund

Save New York PAC

Save Our Society PAC

Stand America PAC

Tea Party Majority Super Fund

Veterans Victory Fund

Virgin Islands Republican Party

Warriors for Liberty



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