Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a campaign stop at Waukesha County Exposition Center, Monday, April 4, in Waukesha, Wis. | AP Photo Cruz fundraiser heard toeing donations rule A campaign official asked for unlimited contributions to a super PAC.

A fundraiser for Ted Cruz may have broken election law by suggesting that supporters at an official event give unlimited donations to an allied super PAC, a recording obtained by POLITICO shows.

"If you hit your max then we have a table for you that is the unlimited table," Keet Lewis, a bundler for the campaign and co-host of a Dec. 30 fundraiser in Dallas, says on the recording provided to POLITICO. "It can take corporate dollars, it can take partnership dollars, and that’s the super PAC, Stand for Truth, so pick up some of that information."


Campaigns and their agents are not allowed to solicit donations exceeding federal limits. The Federal Election Commission has said officials can direct donors to super PACs but only personally solicit for up to $5,000. Lewis, however, is heard asking for unlimited and corporate dollars.

"The fellow should revise and extend his remarks to make it clear he was not asking for more than $5,000," said Jan Baran, an election lawyer at Wiley Rein.

"A general solicitation/direction (unspecified amount) without a disclaimer ('To be clear, I’m not allowed to solicit or direct more than $5,000 for the super PAC') would be illegal," Paul Ryan, an attorney at the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, wrote in an email.

The recording does not include any such statement from Lewis. Lewis told POLITICO he doesn't consider himself an agent of the campaign.

"Other than invite people to the events, that's all I do," he said.

Cruz also spoke at the event. A campaign spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stand For Truth is one of eight super PACs supporting Cruz. As of the end of February, it had spent almost $10 million supporting Cruz and opposing Marco Rubio and Donald Trump, two of Cruz's rivals for the GOP presidential nomination. Rubio suspended his campaign in March.

Many other candidates have taken heat from rivals and activists over close ties to super PACs, but the actual rules on what’s known as coordination are quite permissive. Several candidates have even appeared at super PAC fundraisers, which the FEC has blessed.