The Federal Election Commission has once again found campaign finance violations in Bernie Sanders’ election reports, warning in a Tuesday letter that enforcement or audit action is likely if immediate actions aren’t taken to remedy the violations.
A total of eight campaign finance violations were found in Sanders’ April report, including many donors who have exceeded the $2,700 giving limit as well as some who live outside the United States. Federal regulators also said the campaign has failed to provide necessary details regarding a number of campaign expenditures.
The FEC said the request for information was “essential to full public disclosure of your federal election campaign finances.”
The agency demanded an official response from the campaign by June 14, the date of the final Democratic nominating contest in Washington, D.C. The FEC made clear that no extension would be granted, and that a fully amended financial report from the campaign’s treasurer, Susan Jackson, was required.
The FEC has notified the campaign periodically over the last few months of various campaign finance law violations, including in a February letter when hundreds of donors were highlighted for giving more than allowed.
Tuesday’s letter, penned by campaign finance analyst Bradley Matheson, claims that the campaign has not demonstrated work to refund money owed that officials had previously flagged as inappropriate.
In some cases, donors gave much more than was allowed, like Ahmed Abdelmeguid, who gave more than $12,000 to Sanders over the past few months.
The FEC attached more than 600 pages detailing donors who had given too much, including two prominent actors and Sanders surrogates. Mark Ruffalo, was recorded as donating more than $4,000 while Shailene Woodley gave $2,950.
Mike Casca, the campaign’s rapid response director, said in an email that the FEC letter was a standard inquiry, and Judith Ingram, an FEC spokeswoman, said “requests for more information aren’t all that rare.”
“Due to an unprecedented number of small dollar donations, it is difficult to ensure that each of the senator’s 2.4 million donors stay under the $2,700 limit,” Casca said. “This happens so often in campaigns that the FEC’s rules specifically allow 60 days from receipt to remedy the excessive portion of the contribution. The campaign has diligently honored these refund requirements.”
The entire letter from the FEC can be viewed here.
