A conservative watchdog group is alleging that Democrats illegally paid a foreign national for campaign work. A Democratic congressman and major Democratic campaign committee together paid a firm run by a foreign national more than $700,000 for campaign work, a blatant violation of federal election law, according to a watchdog complaint.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have paid for the services of La Machine, an Arizona-based firm run by Antonio Valdovinos. He who regularly claims his status as a foreign national living in the United States thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“Foreign nationals are barred from contributing in any substantive way, both financially or strategically, and given the facts here this is precisely what appears to have happened — repeatedly,” said Kendra Arnold, the watchdog group’s executive director. “The monetary political donations made by Mr. Valdovinos would be egregious violations in and of themselves, and the fact he literally created a political consulting firm with a significant client list and billings is truly beyond the pale.”
La Machine was paid by the DSCC, earning $710,000 for “voter canvassing” in the final three months of 2022, according to campaign finance disclosures. The campaign committee for Ruben Gallego, Gallego For Arizona, has separately paid La Machine $211,587.66 for services including petition gathering and consulting services. The firm’s website lists Gallego, as well as his wife and other Arizona Democrats, as its clients.
“Like so many Dreamers, Antonio is a patriotic young man who is working hard and contributing to our community,” Gallego said at the time. “And like hundreds of thousands of Dreamers across this country, his life was placed in limbo when Donald Trump made the cruel and callous decision to end the DACA program.”
FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub stated in 2019 that the caselaw was clear on the topic of foreign nationals involving themselves in U.S. politics.
“Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election,” Weintraub said. “This is not a novel concept.”
“Anyone who solicits or accepts foreign assistance risks being on the wrong end of a federal investigation. Any political campaign that receives an offer of a prohibited donation from a foreign source should report that offer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Source: Daily Wire
