Yeah. It might be an illegal use of federal funds.
>>Is this a legal use of campaign funds?
Yeah. It might be an illegal use of federal funds. <<
This is just a non-lawyer’s reaction but I would think the campaign would be the logical way to pay to defend challenges to whether the campaign was legal.
§ 439a. Use of contributed amounts for certain purposes1
(a) Permitted uses. A contribution accepted by a candidate, and any other donation received by an individual as support for activities of the individual as a holder of Federal office, may be used by the candidate or individual—
(1) for otherwise authorized expenditures in connection with the campaign for Federal office of the candidate or individual;
1Section 301 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), Pub. L. No. 107-155, revised section 439a to insert replacement language. This amendment is effective as of November 6, 2002. Section 532, Division H, Title V of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 108-447, further amended section 439a to add paragraphs (a)(5) and (a)(6). This amendment was signed into law on December 8, 2004.
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(2) for ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection
with duties of the individual as a holder of Federal office;
(3) for contributions to an organization described in section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(4) for transfers, without limitation, to a national, State, or local committee of a political party;
(5) for donations to State and local candidates subject to the provisions of State law; or
(6) for any other lawful purpose unless prohibited by subsection
(b) of this section.
(b) Prohibited use.
(1) In general. A contribution or donation described in subsection
(a) shall not be converted by any person to personal use.
(2) Conversion. For the purposes of paragraph (1), a contribution
or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or amount is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s election campaign or individual’s duties as a holder of Federal office, including—
(A) a home mortgage, rent, or utility payment;
(B) a clothing purchase;
(C) a noncampaign-related automobile expense;
(D) a country club membership;
(E) a vacation or other noncampaign-related trip;
(F) a household food item;
(G) a tuition payment;
(H) admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other form of entertainment not associated with an election campaign; and
(I) dues, fees, and other payments to a health club or recreational facility.
(c)1 Restrictions on use of campaign funds for flights on noncommercial
aircraft.
(1) In general. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a candidate for election for Federal office (other than a candidate
who is subject to paragraph (2)), or any authorized committee of such a candidate, may not make any expenditure for a flight on an aircraft unless—
§ 439a
1Section 601 of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, Pub. L. No. 110-81, amended section 439a to add new subsection (c). The amendment applies to flights taken on or after September 14, 2007.
0bama did not accept Federal matching funds.
Think about that.
A democrat turning down 'free' tax money.