Did GOP use Twitter to bend election laws?

The National Republican Congressional Committee and a pair of GOP-aligned outside groups used anonymous Twitter accounts to share polling information, bending campaign finance laws, according to CNN.

{mosads}The American Action Network and American Crossroads, a pair of Republican-affiliated outside groups, and the NRCC used Twitter accounts to share private polling data ahead of the 2014 elections, according to the report.

That allowed them to skirt rules banning private sharing of information between outside groups and the national parties — rules that have been increasingly circumvented as campaign finance laws have crumbled in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that said the First Amendment allowed nonprofit corporations to make independent political expenditures.

There are still rules preventing direct coordination between outside groups and campaigns, but campaigns and political committees often publicly post information, messaging and video footage in order to let super-PACs and other outside groups use the information.

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The Twitter accounts were deleted shortly after the NRCC was contacted with questions about them.

Whether or not the communications were legal, it’s unlikely the Federal Election Commission will act — it’s been deadlocked along party lines on most campaign finance issues for years.