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Q&A
Requirements and consequences for reporting intermediaries
2:51:17
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102 sec
Council Member Lincoln Restler inquires about the requirements and consequences for reporting intermediaries in campaign finance disclosures. Executive Director Paul Seamus Ryan explains the process and potential consequences.
- Campaigns are required to report intermediaries at the time of filing that includes the bundled donations.
- Failure to report intermediaries can trigger a suspected intermediary report and result in contributions not being matched.
- It's common for candidates to have errors in their disclosure reports, which are reviewed and corrected through statement reviews.
- There are penalties for violations, including failure to report required information, but specifics were not provided.
Lincoln Restler
2:51:17
That is helpful and sounds like a very positive development.
2:51:22
If a campaign is aware of an intermediary, the requirement is that it be reported at the time of the filing that includes the bundled donations.
2:51:33
Correct?
2:51:33
Yes.
2:51:34
So, you know, I get that all campaigns occasionally miss reporting things and have to file amended disclosures.
2:51:42
But if a campaign fails to report any intermediaries, that raises red flags for the CFB if there's a substantial amount of donations?
2:52:22
And are there penalties for chronically failing to report until questioned or does that suggest to you that a campaign is just hoping to not get caught?
2:52:45
I am catching you from both
Paul Seamus Ryan
2:51:50
Well, it certainly could trigger a suspected intermediary report, it'll be noted in the statement review.
2:51:55
The contribution won't be matched.
2:51:57
There are consequences for it, but it is quite routine for most, many, most candidates to not get their disclosure reports 100% right.
2:52:07
We review them closely and we send the statement review asking for more information, clarification, correction of what we consider to be errors or at least open questions in those disclosure reports.
2:52:17
It's true of intermediaries but pretty much every other aspect of disclosure and reporting to our agency.
2:52:33
I'm I'm not gonna speculate on what campaigns are hoping for, but, you know, we audit everything very closely.
2:52:40
It's one of the reasons it takes so long.
2:52:42
We ought to audit so thoroughly.
2:52:44
The upside is
2:52:48
Catch just about everything.
2:52:49
Takes us a little while longer than we'd like to get to that end result.
2:52:53
And for any violations, any failure to report to us required information, there are penalties.
UNKNOWN
2:52:46
sides of this today.
2:52:47
That's fair.