NOTUS Exclusive: The Strange Case of Leavitt’s FEC ReportsIn 2022, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning the Republican nomination in the 1st District at age 25. She eventually lost to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. The race and her rhetoric, though, made her a MAGA icon.
NOTUS’ Claire Heddles reports that all of Leavitt’s FEC filings were amended Thursday after “failing to disclose for years that her campaign took in hundreds of thousands of dollars in inappropriate donations and never paid the money back.” Of the more than $300,000 in outstanding debt, more than $200,000 is owed to people who donated more than legally allowed. An example of the donations: former NH Gov. Craig Benson gave $8,700 to Leavitt’s general election campaign, far above the $2,900 limit for 2022. The new records show the overage has still not been paid back.
“Congressional candidates can technically accept campaign donations exceeding contribution limits — as long as they refund the contributor or redesignate the funds within 60 days, according to federal campaign finance law,” Claire writes. “Leavitt’s campaign committee appears to have done neither.”