Bernie Sanders has been fined by the Federal Election Commission for illegally accepting contributions from the Australian Labor Party.
From Conservative Post:
The FEC discovered in early February the Australian Labor Party paid for students to fly to the United States to volunteer for Bernie’s campaign in 2016. Bernie’s foreign laborers received $8,000 in stipends from the Australian government, as part of an educational program.
The Sanders campaign received $25,000 of donated contributions from the socialistic foreign party. The FEC fined the Sanders campaign $14,000 in civil penalties in accordance with violating federal election law.
Vice News reported a Sander’s spokesman said the Vermont senator accepted the ruling to avoid further legal expenses, but won’t admit to violating the election law.
“During the course of the campaign, thousands and thousands of young people from every state and many other countries volunteered. Among them were seven Australian young people who were receiving a modest stipend and airfare from the Australian Labor Party so they could learn about American politics,” the spokesperson said.
“The folks on the campaign managing volunteers did not believe the stipend disqualified them from being volunteers.”
The Australian Labor Party also denies violating the American election law.
“All parties send observers to overseas elections. It has happened for decades. This is a new and very strict interpretation,” an ALP source told the Australian press. “We don’t believe any rules were broken.”
The complaint was initially filed with the FEC by former New Hampshire Speaker of the House William O’Brien. He was made aware of the illegal activity when James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas had been investigating the Australian Labor Party colluding with Sanders to in 2016.
O’Brien has said he will seek further criminal investigation into the matter with the New Hampshire Attorney General and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Could this be the blow that cripples any chances for Sanders to reemerge in 2020 or beyond? Or will liberals and socialists let this slide because he’s their “golden boy?”
