Here’s how crazy campaign finance rules are in presidential campaigns.
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton is pretty famous for jetting into campaign soirees and fundraisers to schmooze with big shots such as Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
But she’s not planning to give every supporter the Hollywood treatment.
In a letter to the Federal Election Commission, her campaign said it planned to hold events next year where no food, booze or even car parking valet services will be offered.
I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident pic.twitter.com/zGpdcGSZBD
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) August 7, 2015
Simple enough, but here’s where it gets complicated. What if people wanted to buy food at a Clinton venue, like a sports stadium, or use a valet service she didn’t hire? Would that be an “in-kind” campaign contribution?
FEC Chairwoman Ann Ravel led the commission last week to decide that buying popcorn or giving car keys to a valet wouldn’t amount to a contribution.
In a letter clearing the campaign, Ravel wrote, “The Committee plans to organize campaign events during the 2016 election cycle in restaurants, hotels, and similar event spaces. For some of these events, the Committee does not plan to make food or beverages available to attendees and will not mention food or beverages in the invitations to the events nor imply that a meal is part of these events.”
She concluded, “The Commission understands this representation to mean that attendees’ purchasing or not purchasing food or beverages at an event will not in any way affect the [Clinton campaign] Committee’s costs for the event. For example, the event venue will not offer the Committee any discounts based on attendees’ actual or anticipated purchases, and the Committee will not be obligated to pay a minimum charge for food and beverages if attendees do not purchase enough. Assuming that attendees’ purchases do not factor into the pricing of these or other charges to the Committee, the purchases by attendees of their own food or beverages would not constitute in-kind contributions for the reasons stated above.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
