WESA reported Wednesday morning that liberal “Dark Money” is being used to impact state House and Senate races across the Commonwealth. (‘Dark Money’ Playing Role In North Hills Senate Race, And Contests Statewide, WESA, Chris Potter & An-Li Herring, October 31, 2018).
As the story notes, the main culprit—Philadelphia-based political action committee Pennsylvania Fund for Change—is capable of spending “unlimited sums on behalf of candidates for state office” and “until this week, the Fund’s finances were completely opaque.”
While newly-filed finance reports indicate that the PAC is funded by trial lawyers and pro-abortion advocacy organizations, “56 cents of every dollar the Fund has raised cannot be traced at all. That’s because $1,424,000 of it comes from PA Alliance Action, a committee for which the Pennsylvania Department of State has no records at all.”
In addition to these statements, those representing PA Alliance Action identify the organization as a 501(c)(4).
According to the report, PA Alliance Action has not filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Further, there is the possibility that PA Alliance Action is in violation of campaign finance laws since 501(c)(4) organizations are prohibited from contributing to political action committees, such as Pennsylvania Fund for Change.
As a result of these revelations, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania is considering the appropriate legal recourse to bring these matters to the attention of enforcement authorities.
As a reminder, Pennsylvania Fund for Change has an infamous reputation building across Pennsylvania for running false television ads that have been required to be taken down and sending out mailers containing outright and unproven lies that courts have had to step in to rectify.
Just last week, a Chester County judge ruled against the Pennsylvania Fund for Change over blatantly false mailers they sent about state Rep. Warren Kampf (R-Chester).
As reported by the Chester Daily Local:
“Common Please Court President Judge Jacqueline Carroll Cody ruled that the assertion that the Pennsylvania Fund for Change made in three mailings that were sent this month and last stating that state Rep. Warren Kampf had been “living large on thousands of dollars in per-diems,” which are the taxpayer-funded payments state legislators can receive for each day they serve in the state Capital, was false.”
(Misleading mailings targeting GOP lawmaker must stop, Chesco judge rules, Chester Daily Local, Michael Rellahan, October 24, 2018)
As a result of the ruling, Pennsylvania Fund for Change must now send mailers to the same households that received the original lie-riddled mailer telling the truth about Rep. Kampf.
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