Two progressive groups want the Federal Election Commission to investigate Fox Corp. and former President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign for breaking campaign finance laws.
On Friday, End Citizens United PAC filed a complaint with the FEC arguing that Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch broke the law when he shared Joe Biden’s campaign ad and debate strategy with Trump adviser Jared Kushner.
The exchange of confidential information was first made public this week in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News and the Fox Corp. According to a filing citing Murdoch’s sworn deposition, the Fox boss admitted to providing a preview of the ads with Kushner before they were public, as well as sharing Biden’s debate strategy during the 2020 campaign.
End Citizens United PAC, a group that pushes for campaign finance reform, shared a copy of its complaint exclusively with NBC News. According to the group, the maximum penalty is five years prison time and fines of 200% of the value of the contribution.
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“Fox Corporation’s blatant and cavalier act is a prohibited corporate contribution. The commission must immediately investigate,” wrote End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller.
The filing said the Trump campaign also broke the law by not disclosing the in-kind contribution. Neither Fox Corp. nor the Trump campaign immediately returned requests for comment.
Media Matters for America also filed an FEC complaint Friday against the two entities, alleging that Fox made “illegal corporate in-kind contribution.”
Dominion has sued Fox News and Fox Corp. for $1.6 billion, arguing it defamed the voting systems manufacturer by knowingly broadcasting baseless fraud claims about its election equipment. Fox News has defended its coverage and criticized the defamation suit as “baseless.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
