In keeping with his promise not to be swayed by lobbyists or big-money donors, Donald Trump has requested that a handful of unauthorized super PACs supporting his presidential bid discontinue their fundraising efforts and return the donations they’ve so far received.
According to his campaign, Trump notified nine super PACs earlier this week, in letters sent by legal counsel, that he takes no responsibility for their fundraising efforts and does not wish to receive any of their support.
“I have disavowed all super PACs, requested the return of all donations made to said PACs and I am calling on all presidential candidates to do the same,” the Republican front-runner said in a statement issued Friday by his campaign.
He added, “The character of our country is only as strong as our leaders — the only special interest I am beholden to is the American people and together we will Make America Great Again.”
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Trump’s campaign claims he sent the letters to eliminate any “confusion said PACs could potentially cause with [his] supporters across the country.”
“We are providing this written notice that your organization is not authorized to use Mr. Trump’s name and likeness in connection with its fundraising activities, and we are formally disavowing such activities. Thus, given the invocation of Donald J. Trump in connection with your activities, we ask that you refund all funds received by you in connection with any fundraising undertaken to specifically support and/or done in the name of Donald J. Trump,” the letters reportedly stated.
Trump’s decision to disavow all outside support groups supporting his candidacy comes less than 24 hours after news broke that Make America Great Again PAC, a super PAC that had been soliciting donations since July in support of Trump’s White House bid, would cease its fundraising activity.
“Mr. Trump has said he doesn’t have a super PAC. To erase any doubt, I am closing my super PAC and will wait for the primary to reach Colorado to have an impact on the race,” Mike Ciletti, head of the Make America Great Again PAC, told Politico Thursday.
The letter to Ciletti’s PAC, among others, also follows a Washington Post report that Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has close ties to Ciletti and has paid two of his companies to produce various materials for Trump’s campaign.
According to the Post, Lewandowski allegedly threatened to take legal action against the authors of the report if they suggested that Trump had given a green light to Ciletti’s PAC.
However, a veteran campaign strategist, who pitched himself as a potential vendor and consultant to Ciletti’s PAC earlier this summer, claims the conversations he had with Ciletti seemed to indicate his PAC “was completely sanctioned by the Trump people.”
“As I understood it, they were getting money from [Ivanka Trump’s] in-laws and I was told they would be doing some fundraising functions for Trump,” the strategist told the Washington Examiner, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Ciletti did not return the Examiner‘s request for comment.
It is unlikely that other candidates will follow Trump’s lead in disavowing the outside groups that support them. While Trump is using his personal fortune to self-fund his campaign, several of his opponents rely heavily on the activities, fundraisers and digital components their PACs are able to afford.
