Days later, the Chamber spent $381,000 on an ad praising Meijer, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
But because the ad does not explicitly advocate for his election, the pro-business lobbying giant did not have to legally disclose the donation from Hank Meijer, CEO of the Meijer superstores chain.
Emails obtained by The Hill lay out the timeline of the endorsement, donation and ad buy just weeks before the Aug. 2, 2022, House GOP primary in Michigan.
Campaign finance experts said the emails pull back the curtain on a surge of “dark money” in U.S. elections, spending where the ultimate source of the money is not publicly disclosed.
“They’re exploiting a legal loophole to help them conceal the sources of election spending in this race,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center (CLC).
CLC filed a complaint during the 2020 cycle that alleged an individual later identified as Hank Meijer tried to obscure separate donations by using an LLC to donate to another super PAC supporting his son.
“They’re doing it in a very sophisticated way, but ultimately the voters suffer as a result,” Ghosh added.
Both the Chamber and John Truscott, a Meijer family spokesman, insisted the donation complied with all applicable laws. But neither the Chamber nor Truscott answered specific questions about the timing of the donation, the terms of the contribution and how that money was used.
“The personal contribution made two years ago to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Voter Education Fund was in full accordance with all laws and regulations,” Truscott told The Hill.
A Chamber spokesperson told The Hill that the organization “operates consistent with all applicable campaign finance laws, including restrictions related to coordinated activities and requirements around donor disclosure” and “timely reported this advertisement to the FEC, providing all information required by law.”
But the timing of the donation so soon after the endorsement “raises some serious questions” about the arrangement between the Chamber and Hank Meijer, said Anna Massoglia, a dark money expert and the editorial and investigations manager at the nonpartisan money-in-politics tracking nonprofit OpenSecrets.
The Hill’s Taylor Giorno has more here.
