The Trump campaign had argued in response to the complaints that “touting his business successes in the course of the campaign, even when accompanied by the use of props, is not a violation of the [Federal Election Campaign] Act because it does not put campaign resources to personal use.” | Evan Vucci/AP Photo FEC dismisses self-enrichment complaint against Trump campaign

The FEC will not investigate President Donald Trump’s political campaign for enriching his businesses after considering a complaint from a liberal watchdog group, which alleged that Trump’s boasting about his hotels and use of his private jets constituted a violation of campaign law.

The agency released its decision Friday, two years after the complaint was filed during the 2016 primaries, when then-candidate Trump plugged Trump-branded wine, steaks and golf courses during political events and held press conferences at Trump properties. The complaint from American Democracy Legal Fund alleged that represented a use of campaign funds to further Trump’s business and personal interests in violation of campaign finance law. Additional complaints alleged that Trump had “charged his own campaign significantly more money” for events than he had charged others for similar events.


But the FEC dismissed the complaints on a 3-1 vote, with Democratic commissioner Ellen Weintraub dissenting, after the agency’s general counsel recommended against moving forward.

“The available information indicates that most of Trump's alleged promotion of his products and properties during campaign appearances were made in the context of touting his business acumen, and therefore his suitability and qualifications for office, which was an issue often raised during the campaign,” the report says.

The Trump campaign had argued in response to the complaints that “touting his business successes in the course of the campaign, even when accompanied by the use of props, is not a violation of the [Federal Election Campaign] Act because it does not put campaign resources to personal use.”

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The Trump campaign’s response noted that the candidate’s press conference praising Trump steaks, water and other products came after repeated attacks by political opponents over Trump products, including the steaks and Trump University.

“Use of products as examples of business successes in the campaign is not somehow doing an ‘infomercial’ or ‘promoting’ those products as the complainants contend, but rather citing and showing examples of the successes Mr. Trump could bring to elected office in the course of a campaign,” wrote former Trump campaign lawyer Donald McGahn. “That Mr. Trump was able to interject humor by making a farce of his political opponents' attacks must have frustrated them even more.”

In a statement, Weintraub argued the commission should have opened an investigation into the complaint so it could fully probe whether Trump had given his properties favorable rates and treatment.

“Only then could the Commission assure the American public that no impermissible intermingling of campaign and business or personal interests occurred,” Weintraub said.