ICYMI: Tudor Dixon Failed to Disclose DeVos Fundraiser

As DeVos sellout Tudor Dixon’s campaign enters a “critical juncture” marked by continued failures to attract support for her special interest-backed agenda and minimal visibility on the trail, her campaign faces another campaign finance complaint.

As reported by MLive, the Michigan Democratic Party recently filed a complaint alleging that Dixon failed to report a summer fundraiser hosted by the DeVos family and attended by nearly 200 people. The DeVoses and their network donated over $200,000 directly to Dixon’s campaign during the previous reporting period.

In another “more problematic” move, Dixon boasted about the fundraiser in campaign correspondence and shared photos from the event which showed the event was “clearly not in a home,” meaning that her campaign also failed to report in-kind contributions or expenditures in relation to this fundraiser.

The full complaint against Dixon’s campaign can be viewed here.

See excerpts below from MLive on how DeVos sellout Dixon skirted the rules for “the primary patrons of [her] gubernatorial bid” and read the full report here.

MLive: Democrats Allege Tudor Dixon Failed to Disclose Devos-Hosted Fundraiser

By Simon Schuster

The Michigan Democratic Party has accused Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon’s campaign of failing to disclose a fundraiser hosted by the DeVos family on the candidate’s behalf, according to a campaign finance complaint filed with the Michigan Department of State.

Their evidence comes from an email sent by Dixon’s campaign to supporters June 12.

“The DeVos family hosted a ‘friendraiser’ for Tudor this week and about 175 people turned out,” the campaign wrote in the email.

Dixon’s campaign never reported a fundraiser that week in their campaign finance disclosure, the complaint asserts, a violation of rules which requires candidates to disclose the date, location, attendance and amount raised at fundraisers. MDP chair Lavora Barnes is named as the complainant.

Dixon’s campaign has a simple explanation: they never needed to report the event because it wasn’t a fundraiser at all. […]

Michigan’s campaign finance law defines a fundraiser as an event “through which contributions are solicited or received by purchase of a ticket, payment of an attendance fee, making a donation or purchase of goods or services.” […]

It’s unclear if the event was ticketed. The complaint also alleges “Dixon knowingly omitted individual in-kind contributions or expenditures related to the DeVos fundraising event and required to be disclosed by the MCFA,” Michigan’s campaign finance law.

This is where things could be more problematic for the campaign. The email included a photo of the event, which was clearly not in a home.

“If it’s at the corporate office, or business office, or they rented a hall or something, that would be an in-kind contribution,” [attorney Jean] Kordenbrock said.

Nothing of the sort has been reported by Dixon’s campaign.

The DeVos family have been the primary patrons of Dixon’s gubernatorial bid, according to campaign finance records. Weeks before the “friendraiser,” Dixon was hosted by Craig and Emilie Wierda for a fundraiser. Emilie Wierda is the sister of Betsy DeVos and a fellow scion of the wealthy Prince family.

Seven members of the DeVos family have given a combined $50,050 to her campaign and a collective $1 million to an opaque Super PAC, Michigan Families United, which has far outspent Dixon’s campaign in support of her candidacy. Dixon will be the subject of another DeVos family fundraiser on Sept. 12, this time with Rick and Melissa DeVos in Grand Rapids.
Dixon will face Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, in the general election Nov. 8. In the latest campaign finance filings for the period ending Aug. 22, Dixon had about $524,000 in the bank. Whitmer had $14 million.

As DeVos sellout Tudor Dixon’s campaign enters a “critical juncture” marked by continued failures to attract support for her special interest-backed agenda and minimal visibility on the trail, her campaign faces another campaign finance complaint.

As reported by MLive, the Michigan Democratic Party recently filed a complaint alleging that Dixon failed to report a summer fundraiser hosted by the DeVos family and attended by nearly 200 people. The DeVoses and their network donated over $200,000 directly to Dixon’s campaign during the previous reporting period.

In another “more problematic” move, Dixon boasted about the fundraiser in campaign correspondence and shared photos from the event which showed the event was “clearly not in a home,” meaning that her campaign also failed to report in-kind contributions or expenditures in relation to this fundraiser.

The full complaint against Dixon’s campaign can be viewed here.

See excerpts below from MLive on how DeVos sellout Dixon skirted the rules for “the primary patrons of [her] gubernatorial bid” and read the full report here.

MLive: Democrats Allege Tudor Dixon Failed to Disclose Devos-Hosted Fundraiser

By Simon Schuster

The Michigan Democratic Party has accused Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon’s campaign of failing to disclose a fundraiser hosted by the DeVos family on the candidate’s behalf, according to a campaign finance complaint filed with the Michigan Department of State.

Their evidence comes from an email sent by Dixon’s campaign to supporters June 12.

“The DeVos family hosted a ‘friendraiser’ for Tudor this week and about 175 people turned out,” the campaign wrote in the email.

Dixon’s campaign never reported a fundraiser that week in their campaign finance disclosure, the complaint asserts, a violation of rules which requires candidates to disclose the date, location, attendance and amount raised at fundraisers. MDP chair Lavora Barnes is named as the complainant.

Dixon’s campaign has a simple explanation: they never needed to report the event because it wasn’t a fundraiser at all. […]

Michigan’s campaign finance law defines a fundraiser as an event “through which contributions are solicited or received by purchase of a ticket, payment of an attendance fee, making a donation or purchase of goods or services.” […]

It’s unclear if the event was ticketed. The complaint also alleges “Dixon knowingly omitted individual in-kind contributions or expenditures related to the DeVos fundraising event and required to be disclosed by the MCFA,” Michigan’s campaign finance law.

This is where things could be more problematic for the campaign. The email included a photo of the event, which was clearly not in a home.

“If it’s at the corporate office, or business office, or they rented a hall or something, that would be an in-kind contribution,” [attorney Jean] Kordenbrock said.

Nothing of the sort has been reported by Dixon’s campaign.

The DeVos family have been the primary patrons of Dixon’s gubernatorial bid, according to campaign finance records. Weeks before the “friendraiser,” Dixon was hosted by Craig and Emilie Wierda for a fundraiser. Emilie Wierda is the sister of Betsy DeVos and a fellow scion of the wealthy Prince family.

Seven members of the DeVos family have given a combined $50,050 to her campaign and a collective $1 million to an opaque Super PAC, Michigan Families United, which has far outspent Dixon’s campaign in support of her candidacy. Dixon will be the subject of another DeVos family fundraiser on Sept. 12, this time with Rick and Melissa DeVos in Grand Rapids.

Dixon will face Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, in the general election Nov. 8. In the latest campaign finance filings for the period ending Aug. 22, Dixon had about $524,000 in the bank. Whitmer had $14 million.

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