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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsREPORT: On Top Of Everything Else, Ted Cruz Might Have Broken The Law
Ted Cruz is currently in hot water for his decision to abandon Texas for Cancún in the middle of a state of emergency, for claiming the trip was his daughters idea, for getting caught in a web of lies over the origins of said trip, and for blaming the whole thing on both the media and the assholes who leaked his wifes text messages which ultimately blew up Cruzs spot. Thats kept him pretty busy for the time being, but it appears he may soon have to juggle multiple scandals, according to a new investigation concerning a shadow entity that the FEC may have cause to look into.
Salons Roger Sollenberger reports that in 2020, a leadership PAC attached to Cruz called Jobs, Freedom, and Security paid $1.2 million, or almost 80% of its entire operating budget, to a company called Reagan Investments LLC for sponsorship advertising. Per Sollenberger, the only other committee to register any disbursements to that company was Trump Make America Great Again, for a fundraising promotion for Cruzs books in December
However, the Trump group clearly marked the payment for collateral: books. In other words, its possible Cruz may have bought his own books through this mystery company and then paid himself royalties, which would be illegal. Per Salon:
On Jan. 4, 2021
Cruz traveled to Georgia before the runoff elections, his leadership PAC reported a $240,000 expense for sponsorship advertising to Reagan Investments, which appears to correlate with another series of small-dollar donations that poured into the PAC over the next few days. It isnt clear how much of the funds raised, if any, went to Republican runoff campaigns: Cruzs PAC only spent a few thousand dollars in support of former Sen. Kelly Loeffler. In fact, most of the contributions rolled in after the runoffs were over and as the events surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection were playing out, while Cruz joined a handful of Republican Senators to object to the counting of Electoral College votes.
Legal experts tell Salon that if the money was for promotional book sales, as the filings may suggest, then the leadership PAC could be using Reagan Investments as a pass-through to allow Cruz to keep the royalties, which are generally between 10% and 15% for hardcover books, and about half that for paperbacks. Political candidates are not allowed to do that through their campaign committees. But the identity of Reagan Investments itself poses a mystery.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/02/ted-cruz-book-kickbacks
LakeArenal
(28,813 posts)efhmc
(14,725 posts)But thanks for the info.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)I'm guessing it's not; TX is such a cruel place in general.
Permanut
(5,598 posts)I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell ya.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,318 posts)lindysalsagal
(20,648 posts)you do whatever they tell you to do.
demtenjeep
(31,997 posts)the bigger his slimey crimes become
modrepub
(3,493 posts)and nothing happens. Why bother doing anything when the voters can just vote the "bad" guys out?
lindysalsagal
(20,648 posts)its possible Cruz may have bought his own books through this mystery company and then paid himself royalties, which would be illegal.
And pathetic and funny as hell!!!