Mentions of money laundering and the victory fund

From:PalermoR@dnc.org To: MirandaL@dnc.org, PriceJ@dnc.org Date: 2016-05-04 17:11 Subject: Mentions of money laundering and the victory fund

New video clip mentions: MSNBC<https://toolbox.dnc.org/?tool_name=vantage%20uploader&path=vantageuploader.dnc.org/videos/shared_show?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpYXQiOjE0NjIzMTkyMDEsImVtYWlsIjoiZGV1dHNjaC1mZWxkbWFuZUBkbmMub3JnIiwiaWQiOjMxNDkzMywiZG93bmxvYWRhYmxlIjp0cnVlfQ.Q6o8i3HrE4hYFK0bWTvPGtuzc1yGt5Aq1acYovd23Ck> Maddow: Let me ask you about the criticism your campaign has made toward the Clinton campaign also on the issue of fund raising. You have called the Clinton campaign money launders for their joint fund-raisers with the DNC. Are you alleging that the Clinton campaign is criminally liable for what is wrong with the fund raising tactics? Jeff Weaver: That term was used by democratic state party officials. That wasn't our term. They've been getting huge donations from wealthy people and doing two things. They said they would give it to the state parties. The state parties have gotten 1% of the money. What they have done is quite remarkable. No one has done it before. They take the money they get from people from contributions above the limit that they are allowed to take and turn it into a small dollar contribution machine which all goes to the Clinton campaign. They are turning it into a small dollar contribution machine that goes to the Clinton campaign. Money that goes to the state parties gets vacuumed up by the DNC sometimes, according to the news report, when state parties don't realize the money is being taken out of their account. It's quite phenomenal. New print clip mentions (nothing major): Bernie Sanders Rips Clinton For Campaign ‘Money- Laundering’ Scheme<http://www.inquisitr.com/3059666/bernie-sanders-rips-clinton-for-campaign-money-laundering-scheme/> INQUISITR // JUSTIN STREIGHT Hillary Clinton has long justified taking large sums from wealthy donors by saying the money was going to DNC down-ticket Democrats to help them win state-level elections. The Hillary Victory Fund was touted as a vehicle for these joint-fundraising operations, but according to an in-depth analysis from Politico, less than 1 percent of the $61 million raised by the committee has stayed with the state candidates. In most cases, the campaigns see no benefit from their agreements with the DNC. In others, it is actually hurting the down-ticket Democrats. Sources speaking to Politico said the state campaigns were afraid to complain, fearing reprisal from Clinton and the DNC. The former secretary of State accused Bernie Sanders of doing nothing for the party; turns out that doing nothing might have been relatively better. The Politico analysis from the FEC records at the end of April showed that the Hillary Victory Fund transferred $15.4 million directly to the Clinton campaign, another $5.7 million to the DNC, and $3.8 million to other Democratic candidates. But that paltry $3.8 million isn’t particularly meaningful because 88 percent of it was transferred back to the DNC within a day or two. … The Democratic Party appears to be aware of the potential controversy and has sent guidelines to the down-ticket parties, according to Politico‘s sources. “The DNC has given us some guidance on what they’re saying, but it’s not clear what we should be saying. I don’t think anyone wants to get crosswise with the national party because we do need their resources. But everyone who entered into these agreements was doing it because they were asked to, not because there are immediately clear benefits.” Bernie Sanders has a joint-fundraising committee too, but it’s remained inactive. As a result, Sanders’ campaign has drawn ire from media sources and politicians saying that he’s not doing enough to help the party. Sanders Camp: Hillary ‘Money Laundering’ Story May ‘Make You Angry’<http://dailycaller.com/2016/05/03/sanders-camp-hillary-money-laundering-story-may-make-you-angry/#ixzz47iHHcThv> THE DAILY CALLER // RON BRYNAERT On Monday, Politico reported that the joint fundraising committee which includes Hillary for America, the DNC and committees from 32 states and Puerto Rico had raised $61 million dollars, but less than one percent remained in state party coffers. Hillary Clinton’s website tells contributors that the “first $2,700/$5,000” will go to HFA, the “next $33,400/$15,000” to the DNC, and the rest “will be split equally among the Democratic state parties.” Last December, NPR warned that this arrangement could allow a lone donor to contribute $700,000 to the Clinton campaign. … Using FEC filings, Politico reported $15.4 million went to the Clinton campaign, $5.7 million to the DNC and $3.8 million went to the states, but 88 percent of the latter “was quickly transferred to the DNC, usually within a day or two, by the Clinton staffer who controls the committee.” “Some fundraisers who work for state parties predict that the arrangement could actually hurt participating state parties,” Politico claimed. “They worry that participating states that aren’t presidential battlegrounds and lack competitive Senate races could see very little return investment from the DNC or Clinton’s campaign, and are essentially acting as money laundering conduits for them.” Clinton Campaign ‘Money-Laundering’ Scheme Exposed<http://njtoday.net/2016/05/03/clinton-campaign-money-laundering-scheme-exposed/> NJ TODAY // STAFF REPORT Despite Clinton’s pledges to rebuild state parties, Politico found that less than one 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.” … 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. Sanders’ Campaign Accuses Clinton of ‘Laundering’ Donations Through Hillary Victory Fund<http://lawnewz.com/high-profile/sanders-campaign-accuses-clinton-of-laundering-donations-through-hillary-victory-fund/> LAW NEWZ // CHRIS WHITE The conventional wisdom coming out of the most recent Democratic presidential primary contests is that Bernie Sanders is on his last leg. Last week, it was widely reported that the campaign was cutting hundreds of staffers, and Sanders was said to be coming to grips with the reality that he can no longer realistically win enough delegates to win the nomination. While all that may be true, it appears as though some in the Sanders’ campaign are not going down without a fight. In a statement released on Monday, the Sanders’ campaign accused the Clinton campaign of “laundering” campaign donations. … According to CNN, the Sanders campaign also signed a joint fundraising agreement with the DNC. However, Clinton has been the only candidate to actually use it, raising upwards of $61 million through events like the well publicized $353,400 per plate dinner at actor George Clooney’s L.A. mansion. Although the Hillary Victory Fund has raised a considerable amount of money, Politico reports their analysis shows the fund transferred $3.8 million to the state parties, but $3.3 million of those funds were almost immediately transferred to the DNC. That leaves the state parties with less than 1% of all the money raised by this joint fund. Further analysis by Politico shows that approximately $23.3 million “spent directly by the victory fund has gone toward expenses that appear to have directly benefited Clinton’s campaign, including $2.8 million for ’salary and overhead’ and $8.6 million” for web advertising that is essentially identical to official Clinton campaign ads. -- [DNC]<http://www.democrats.org/> Rachel Palermo Democratic National Committee PalermoR@dnc.org<mailto:PalermoR@dnc.org> 202-863-8041 Video clip mentions: CNN The Lead<https://toolbox.dnc.org?tool_name=vantage%20uploader&path=vantageuploader.dnc.org/videos/shared_show?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpYXQiOjE0NjIzMDY5NDYsImVtYWlsIjoiamFrdWJpZWNtQGRuYy5vcmciLCJpZCI6MzE0ODk5LCJkb3dubG9hZGFibGUiOnRydWV9.87f2D1CTW3gkPB8toBEdGoIrqTm4T8LD14xYLTxeFTA> Jake Tapper: Jeff, is there anything to the Sanders charge of money laundering by the Clinton campaign? Jeff Zeleny: Well Jake, the term money laundering is definitely strong. There is nothing to that exact phrase. The Clinton campaign believes that the Sanders campaign is trying to fire up their own donors here. One official called it shameful. But there are some concerns from state party officials where their money is. This comes from a joint fundraising account, the Hillary Victory Fund, it's a joint account that she raises money for her campaign, the national party, the state party. Some of the state parties have not seen as much money as they thought they would. Bernie Sanders could be raising money like this as well. He's decided not to do this. This is just the beginning of this here. Some state parties want their money so they can use it for their own local races. CNN Situation Room<https://toolbox.dnc.org/?tool_name=vantage%20uploader&path=vantageuploader.dnc.org/videos/shared_show?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpYXQiOjE0NjIzMDY5MDYsImVtYWlsIjoiamFrdWJpZWNtQGRuYy5vcmciLCJpZCI6MzE0ODk4LCJkb3dubG9hZGFibGUiOnRydWV9.Xpb7iBNGJ2y2cutWnIumbIFSWlodH7jS9w4aH8XUGcQ> Jeff Zeleny: The rhetoric is not softening much in the campaign at all. Today alone, the Sanders campaign suggested the Clinton campaign was running a money laundering scheme because of the joint fundraising committee they have. The Clinton campaign pushed back, saying they're trying to raise money off this in closing days of the race. Wolf, you see the crowd in downtown Indianapolis, several thousand have gathered, waiting for Senator Sanders. Clear they're not ready for this contest to be over yet. How the outcome is tomorrow will signal how long the race goes, and how much secretary Clinton has to fight Bernie Sanders. Print clip mentions: Clinton and Sanders spar over joint fundraising efforts<http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/02/politics/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-fundraising/> CNN // DAN MERICA Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaign spent part of Monday fighting over how much money the front-runner's operation has actually raised for state parties, with Sanders' campaign charging Clinton with "laundering" donations. Both Democratic campaigns have signed joint fundraising efforts with the Democratic National Committee, allowing the presidential campaigns to raise money for the Democratic committee and a host of state Democratic parties. Because of federal election rules, campaigns are allowed to raise upwards of $350,000 from individuals for joint fundraising efforts. But Clinton has been the only candidate to use it, raising, according to her campaign, $46 million for the DNC and state parties through the Hillary Victory Fund, the Clinton campaign's joint fundraising effort. … The Democratic National Committee has so far declined to get in between the two campaigns. Instead aides have taken to noting that both Sanders and Clinton were offered and signed the same agreement. Under fire from Sanders supporters, Clinton surrogates have cited the joint fundraising effort and the need to help down ballot Democrats as a reason Clinton headlines top-dollar fundraisers. By hitting Clinton for not providing much money to state parties, Sanders' campaign is looking to cut into her ability to explain her appeal. Clinton's campaign, for the first time in 2016, out-raised rival Sander's campaign last month, according to their self-reported fundraising numbers. Sanders raised $25.8 million in April -- short of his campaign's hauls of $44 million in March and $43.5 million in February, his campaign said Sunday. Sanders camp says Clinton ‘looting’ fundraising money meant for states<http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/03/sanders-camp-says-clinton-looting-fundraising-money-meant-for-states.html> FOX NEWS // The Bernie Sanders campaign is accusing Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton of “looting” money from a joint account meant in part for state parties, the latest brawl between the camps over precious fundraising dollars in the closing weeks of their primary race. The dispute is over the Hillary Victory Fund, established by Clinton last summer and comprising her presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee and 32 state party committees. The joint effort so far has raised $61 million, but only 1 percent ultimately stayed in state party accounts, according to an analysis by Politico of federal election records. The analysis, which was challenged by the Clinton campaign, said the fund had transferred $3.8 million to the state parties, then quickly transferred $3.3 million of the money to the DNC. … Schwerin also said the operations are being run jointly by the DNC and state parties “to elect progressives across the country in November." To be sure, raising money may become more challenging as the campaigns drag on -- and when the prevailing candidate shifts to a general election battle. The Sanders campaign, for example, reportedly raised $25.8 million in April, down from $44 million in March and $43.5 million in February. Clinton reportedly raised $26.4 million last month. The Sanders campaign signed a similar joint-fundraising agreement with the DNC that appears largely inactive. However, he has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through his donor list for several progressive House candidates, according to Politico. This is not the first time the Sanders campaign has accused the Clinton camp of fundraising shenanigans. Last month, the campaign sent an open letter to the DNC accusing the Clinton campaign of "apparent violations" in fundraising. Clinton fundraising leaves little for state parties<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/clinton-fundraising-leaves-little-for-state-parties-222670> POLITICO // KENNETH P. VOGEL AND ISAAC ARNSDORF The victory fund has transferred $3.8 million to the state parties, but almost all of that cash ($3.3 million, or 88 percent) was quickly transferred to the DNC, usually within a day or two, by the Clinton staffer who controls the committee, POLITICO’s analysis of the FEC records found. By contrast, the victory fund has transferred $15.4 million to Clinton’s campaign and $5.7 million to the DNC, which will work closely with Clinton’s campaign if and when she becomes the party’s nominee. And most of the $23.3 million spent directly by the victory fund has gone toward expenses that appear to have directly benefited Clinton’s campaign, including $2.8 million for “salary and overhead” and $8.6 million for web advertising that mostly looks indistinguishable from Clinton campaign ads and that has helped Clinton build a network of small donors who will be critical in a general election expected to cost each side well in excess of $1 billion. … “It’s a one-sided benefit,” said an official with one participating state party. The official, like those with several other state parties, declined to talk about the arrangement on the record for fear of drawing the ire of the DNC and the Clinton campaign. In fact, the DNC, which has pushed back aggressively on charges that it is boosting Clinton at the expense of other Democrats, has advised state party officials on how to answer media inquiries about the arrangement, multiple sources familiar with the interactions told POLITICO. “The DNC has given us some guidance on what they’re saying, but it’s not clear what we should be saying,” said the official. “I don’t think anyone wants to get crosswise with the national party because we do need their resources. But everyone who entered into these agreements was doing it because they were asked to, not because there are immediately clear benefits.” Some fundraisers who work for state parties predict that the arrangement could actually hurt participating state parties. They worry that participating states that aren’t presidential battlegrounds and lack competitive Senate races could see very little return investment from the DNC or Clinton’s campaign, and are essentially acting as money laundering conduits for them. And for party committees in contested states, there’s another risk: They might find themselves unable to accept cash from rich donors whose checks to the victory fund counted toward their $10,000 donation limit to the state party in question — even if that party never got to spend the cash because it was transferred to the DNC. … But Schwerin did not respond to follow-up questions about how much of the $700,000 in victory fund transfers to the state parties was subsequently transferred to the DNC. DNC spokesman Mark Paustenbach pointed out that the national party committee “offered to engage in the same joint fundraising efforts with all the major presidential candidates early in the cycle, and we welcome the efforts of the candidates to help raise money for the DNC and state parties now to ensure we can build out the infrastructure to win in November.” Sanders' campaign late last year signed a joint fundraising agreement with the DNC, but the committee has been largely inactive. Instead, after Sanders was chided by Clinton allies for not helping down-ballot Democrats, he sent out appeals to his vaunted email list that helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a trio of progressive House candidates, who got to keep all the cash. How Do You Build a Political Movement?<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/sanders-clinton-dnc-fundraising/480951/> THE ATLANTIC // CLARE FORAN Just when it looked like Bernie Sanders might be poised to tone down his criticism of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate signaled he won’t shy away from a fight. The Sanders campaign escalated its condemnation of the Clinton campaign’s fundraising methods on Monday, seizing on a Politico report to accuse Clinton of “looting funds meant for the state parties to skirt fundraising limits on her presidential campaign.” The charge highlights a broader divide between the rival candidates. Clinton has worked to strengthen the institutional machinery of the Democratic Party. Her efforts have funneled money into national and state party committees in ways that are likely to build up permanent party infrastructure. Sanders, on the other hand, has run a campaign that privileges purity tests above party loyalty, and individuals above institutions. He has elevated the profile of a select pool of progressive Democratic candidates fighting for election to Congress, and cultivated a grassroots network of intensely-devoted small-dollar donors. The trigger for the Sanders campaign’s most recent criticism was a deep dive from Politico into the inner-workings of the Hillary Victory Fund, a fundraising venture for the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and 32 state Democratic parties. It found that state parties have retained less than 1 percent of $61 million raised by the arrangement. The article also cited allegations from state fundraisers that some of the state parties are effectively “acting as money laundering conduits” for the DNC and the Clinton campaign. … The DNC refuted the possibility of any wrongdoing. “The suggestion there’s anything unusual about our joint victory funds has no basis in the law or reality, as recognized by numerous independent experts that have looked at this,” Luis Miranda, a DNC spokesperson said in a statement. The Clinton campaign, meanwhile, emphasized its work in support of Democrats nationwide. “Helping Democrats win up and down the ballot is a top priority for Hillary Clinton,” Josh Schwerin, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement, “which is why she’s raised more than $46 million for the DNC and state parties across the country.” He added that “funds raised through the Hillary Victory Fund are now being used to fund and staff organizing programs in Ohio, Virginia, Florida and states across the country.” Setting spin aside, there are advantages and risks to both strategies. Clinton hopes to strengthen the Democratic Party, and her fundraising strategy stands to bolster party infrastructure. The DNC acts as a gatekeeper for a host of resources that state parties can tap into, ranging from its voter database to research and press operations. There’s a strategic case to be made for the DNC determining how to allocate dollars nationwide given that not every state will be a general election battleground, among other considerations. For Clinton, the approach appears to reflect faith in the ability of the current political system to achieve results, as long as resources are available. But the fundraising has opened up the campaign to charges that it exploited campaign-finance law. To critics, the effort is sure to register as yet another indication of the candidate’s coziness with the political establishment. Bernie Sanders is escalating his attacks on Hillary Clinton — and Trump is taking notes<http://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-indiana-polls-attacks-2016-5> BUSINESS INSIDER // MAXWELL TANI Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning on taking his presidential bid all the way to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this summer. And it looks like his rhetorical shots at Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton will go with him. Leading up to Indiana's primary on Tuesday, Sanders has proved more than willing to continue drawing contrasts with Clinton on major issues. During a Monday campaign rally in Indiana, Sanders reiterated his usual attacks on Clinton's campaign-finance structure, pausing for boos and cracking jokes about Clinton's private speeches to Goldman Sachs. "We said, 'Hell no' to super PACs. We don't represent Wall Street or the billionaire class," Sanders said. … On Monday, the Sanders campaign and the Republican National Committee blasted out to reporters a Politico story within four minutes of each other. The story said that the Clinton campaign has benefited massively from the money it has raised for Democratic state parties, which have received comparatively little in return. "Secretary Clinton has exploited the rules in ways that let her high-dollar donors like Alice Walton of Walmart fame and the actor George Clooney and his super-rich Hollywood friends skirt legal limits on campaign contributions," Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said. He added an apparent reference to a line from the Politico story that quoted state-party fundraisers as worrying that they were "essentially acting as money laundering conduits" for Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. "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?" he said. Whoa: Bernie Accuses Hillary of ‘Laundering’ and ‘Looting’<http://bluenationreview.com/bernie-accuses-hillary-of-laundering-and-looting/> BLUE NATION REVIEW // MELISSA MCEWAN Accusing Hillary of “money laundering” and “looting,” despite the fact that the Hillary Victory Fund has already given approximately $4.5 million to state parties and will distribute an additional $9 million “as state parties ramp up for general,” is truly a new low for the Sanders campaign.To be clear, there is always some tension, during every presidential election, in both parties, about how a finite amount of resources will be allocated. There are a lot of candidates up and down the ballot who are in need of funding, and a limited number of donors from whom to secure it. There are inevitably people who feel like they’re not getting a big enough piece of the pie, or who should have primary access to major local donors. And in the same Politico story, there’s this: “Sources working with the Hillary Victory Fund said the committee is sensitive to these concerns, and that state parties were asked to submit names of donors they wanted to save for themselves.” That’s more than many other campaigns do, as they navigate the complex context that is national elections with numerous candidates who need resources. Sanders attacks Clinton- money-laundering accusations<http://wwlp.com/2016/05/02/sanders-attacks-clinton-money-laundering-accusations/> WWLP // JEFF ZELENY Hillary Clinton is looking to seal the deal and clinch the democratic presidential nomination soon. But Senator Bernie Sanders is refusing to go down without a fight. Bernie sanders: “Let us tomorrow have the biggest turnout in Indiana history!” Bernie sanders is firing up voters today across Indiana. He’s asking democrats to put the brakes on Hillary Clinton’s march to the nomination. But she’s already moving on. Hillary Clinton: “we cannot let Barack Obama’s legacy fall into Donald Trump’s hands.” On the eve of the Indiana primary, Clinton is looking ahead, to a fall match-up with trump and to primary contests down the line. … That fight is getting harder – and his battle to win the nomination more uphill. Clinton is about 200 delegates shy of the magic number of 2,383. Sanders needs nearly 5 times that many pledged and super delegates. The Sanders campaign is digging in today accusing Clinton of running a money-laundering scheme. Citing a politico report that only one percent of the 61 million dollars raised through the Hillary victory fund to help other democrats is actually going to state parties. The Clinton campaign dismissing the attack as desperation. Trump is following sanders’ words carefully – and plans to use them against Clinton. Donald Trump: “Bernie sanders said she shouldn’t be allowed to run, that she’s not capable. And, you know, what he said is incredible. It’s a sound bite.” We asked sanders whether that bothered him. -- [DNC]<http://www.democrats.org/> Rachel Palermo Democratic National Committee PalermoR@dnc.org<mailto:PalermoR@dnc.org> 202-863-8041 If there's any coverage of Bernie Sanders camp calling the victory fund "money laundering" Sent via the Samsung GALAXY S®4, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone