![]() quotas on steel imports from competitors in South Korea. in spring of 2018, according to the report, where the group discussed incoming U.S. Zekelman’s lobbying efforts landed him a private dining room dinner with Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. Several steel companies backed Trump with monetary contributions while he was in office, though Zekelman Industries was the biggest steel industry donor, according to the Times report. Walsh was referring to the FEC’s decision last month to fine the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign over $100,000, over an investigation into alleged misreporting of spending related to the Steele dossier. Walsh, president of America First Action, said in a statement. “Unlike the Clinton campaign and the Democrat National Committee, the Federal Election Commission dismissed the complaint against America First Action because we follow the law,” Brian O. The FEC voted to close the file on April 6. Thomas Spulak - an attorney who signed the agreement for the companies - and Zekelman Industries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Īmerica First Action sent POLITICO an FEC letter dated April 8, noting that the agency was dismissing its allegations against the PAC with regards to the foreign national contributions. The conciliation agreement also requires that the two companies request that America First Action either refund the $1.75 million to the companies or give the money to the U.S. In the agreement, the companies contended that the contributions were “made with the good faith understanding that they were permissible,” and the agency itself “did not find that the violation was knowing or willful.” The conciliation agreement between Zekelman’s companies - Zekelman Industries and Wheatland Tube - was accepted by the agency on Thursday. The original complaint was based on a 2019 story from The New York Times, which also first reported the fine on Friday. law prohibits foreign nationals from directly or indirectly making a contribution or donation in connection with federal, state or local elections. The CLC obtained the documents because of an agency practice that releases relevant findings to the complainants first, with the documents being made more broadly public roughly 30 days after the initial disclosure.Īccording to agency documents, Zekelman discussed the donations with officers of a U.S.-based subsidiary his company controls, Wheatland Tube, which ultimately contributed to America First Action three separate times in 2018. “Super PACs should now be on notice that there are major consequences for breaking the ban on foreign contributions.”ĬLC made the agency documents public late Friday afternoon. Imposing this serious penalty helps protect the voices of voters from being drowned out by foreign corporations and other special interests,” Adav Noti, the vice president and legal director of Campaign Legal Center, said in a statement. ![]()
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