Questions about Vindman’s military records lead to campaign finance investigation into ties to super PACs

A Virginia congressional candidate whose brother was a key witness in the first impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump is accused of violating campaign finance laws and making false statements about his military service.

The campaign of Eugene Vindman, a Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, referred press inquiries about his military past to VoteVets, a political action committee (PAC) that supports progressive military veterans running for office. VoteVets is backing Vindman, a former infantry officer and Army lawyer.

Two watchdog groups – the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust – allege in separate complaints to the Federal Election Commission that this was illegal coordination between the campaign and the super PAC. The FEC’s complaints allege that VoteVets PAC provided a service to the Vindman campaign by managing its press requests.

VINDMAN WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR VIRGINIA’S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

“The law is very clear that providing a service to a campaign is a service in kind. Communications is something a campaign typically pays for, not for a Super PAC to make statements,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), told Fox News Digital.

Eugene Vindman is the brother of retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former member of the National Security Council who testified in 2019 during the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to Trump’s first impeachment led by House Democrats.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Eugene Vindman is running against Republican Derrick Anderson, a former Army Green Beret.

FACT bases its complaint on a documented email exchange between a Washington Free Beacon reporter, Vindman’s campaign manager and Travis Tazelaar, political director of VoteVets PAC.

“We’ve seen campaigns with super PACs push the boundaries, but this isn’t just about pushing the boundaries. This is an explicit in-kind donation,” Arnold said.

VINDMAN SAYS MUSK SHOULD BE ‘NERVOUS’ AFTER TELEGRAM CEO WAS ARRESTED: ‘FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTISTS, THE SPECIALISTS ARE CRAZY’

Last month, Vindman’s campaign manager, Jeremy Levinson, wrote in an email to a Washington Free Beacon reporter: “I am engaging VoteVets who will provide comments on our behalf regarding your initial request.”

The campaign manager added: “Any future questions on this or other matters may be directed to him.”

The statement “or any matters” is problematic, Arnold said.

“The traditional timeline for an FEC investigation is long. We hope they can expedite this case given the circumstances,” Arnold said. “The Vindman campaign has referred the press to VoteVets on this and all other issues.”

In this case, Tazelaar responded to the Free Beacon’s media inquiry with a statement on behalf of Vindman.

A spokesman for Vindman’s campaign group dismissed the FEC’s complaints.

WWII VETERAN RECEIVES STANDING OVATIONS AND “USA” TALKS AFTER MOVING SPEECH

“The bottom line is that we worked with the coordinated side of the VoteVets organization on the response to the Free Beacon campaign,” a spokesperson for the Vindman campaign told Fox News Digital. “The FEC rules make it clear that this interaction does not violate their rules and does not constitute an in-kind contribution.”

David Mitrani, chief legal counsel for VoteVets, also said there was no violation of the FEC.

“The allegations made in the Functional Government Initiative complaint are simply false,” Mitrani said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “VoteVets’ activities are fully consistent with campaign finance laws.”

The statement addressed only one complaint. In a follow-up email, a VoteVets spokesperson said the statement was intended to address complaints from both the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust.

The six-member Federal Election Commission is made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and decisions often end in a tie.

The federal Coordinated Communications Act, or 11 CFR 109.21(h); 11 CFR 106.1(c)(1), governs when campaign efforts are “paid for in whole or in part by a person other than the candidate, an authorized committee, or a party committee.” The act also prohibits an outside “vendor” from “developing media strategies, including the selection or purchase of advertising space,” “developing the content of a public communication,” and “producing a public communication” within 120 days before the election.

The controversy surrounding campaign finance laws stems from questions about Vindman’s military service.

The “Stolen Valor” letter deals Walz a political blow as he touts his military service at the DNC and makes more headlines

Vindman’s Republican opponent Derrick Anderson said Vindman “should answer all legitimate questions about the inflating of his military resume.”

“I respect that he served in the military, but voters have a right to answers – not another Washington politician hiding from them,” Anderson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Right now, Vindman won’t even debate me on TV because he’s unwilling to answer questions that relate to the simple fact that he’s not being honest with voters about his resume.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Vindman had previously said he had “fought in the fight for our nation,” but a 2019 Daily Mail article said Vindman had “no combat experience.” In mid-August, the Washington Free Beacon reported that when campaign manager Levinson contacted the Vindman campaign, he copied VoteVets Tazelaar and referred “all future questions” to the PAC.

In his response to the Beacon, the VoteVets spokesperson reportedly said, “There was no front line in Iraq – and the Vindman family was grateful that Eugene was able to return home unharmed, while so many of our other brothers and sisters in arms were not.”

Source of the original article: Questions about Vindman’s military records lead to campaign finance investigation into ties to super PACs