Republicans and outside groups reportedly figured out a way during the midterm elections to share internal polling information in a way that stretches what’s allowed under election law, according to CNN’s Chris Moody.
Basically, Twitter accounts were set up to share internal polling data with outside groups like super PACs and nonprofits. The accounts weren’t secretive per se, since the profiles were set up as public, but they also allegedly used a secret code to pass along the polling information. One such tweet, according to CNN, read “CA-40/43-44/49-44/44-50/36-44/49-10/16/14-52–>49/476-10s.” It seems like a random set of numbers unless you know that that’s actually polling data for House races in California.
American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-founded super PAC, the nonprofit American Action Network and the National Republican Congressional Committee, were following the Twitter accounts CNN highlighted. The accounts were in use in the months leading up to the midterm elections and they were deleted shortly after CNN reached out to the NRCC about them.
One of the accounts was @brunogianelli44, named after the fictional character Bruno Gianelli in The West Wing who advocated to use “soft money” to help campaigns. Another account was named @truthtrain14.
Super PACS and outside groups can legally engage in politics if they don’t coordinate with campaigns. That includes directly sharing internal polls which could direct an outside group to spend its money other attention. Those using Twitter to post the numbers might be attempting to get around such laws.
“It’s a line that has not been defined,” Paul S. Ryan, a senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, told CNN. “It might not be legal. It’s a cutting edge practice that, to my knowledge, the Federal Election Commission has never before addressed to explicitly determine its legality or permissibility.”
Photo: Shutterstock/Julia Tim
Cheat to win, it’s the Republican way.
If it’s not illegal then they were smart to use it in such a public, yet opaque way. I can’t get too worked up about this because I’m sure the D’s would have done this or something similarly expansive if they needed to.
…* ahem *…ENFORCE THE LAWS!
I want DOJ and FEC on this like white on rice. Let’s see how fucking nuts the GOP/Teatrolls can be made with an investigation. Just like the IRS trying to enforce the law on 503©(4) organizations’ political activities suddenly takes on grave, conspiratorial significance when it’s GOPers/Teatrolls in the cross-hairs, we’ll no doubt be treated to a shit-flinging tantrum and accusations of abuse of power on this one as well.
Anyone being honest about this can’t say with a serious face that they don’t feel, at least on a gut level, like there’s something wrong with pulling this stunt as an attempt to circumvent election laws designed to protect the integrity of the election process. Anyone who says otherwise is a fucking liar…even the true-believer Teatroll types who will argue that it was technically legal “because something something just publicizing their polling data for anyone to see, not sending it directly and secretly to the dark money Super PAC machine.” “It’s technically legal” is the favorite retort of someone who knows they’re doing something that is fundamentally wrong (believe me, I know, I’m a lawyer haha).
Once the camel’s nose of Corruption gets into Democracy’s tent, expect the tent to be full of camel dung pretty quick.
This is very serious. Don’t let the medium confuse you, this is an organized attempt to violate election law. It should be investigated thoroughly and, if the initial reports are accurate, prosecuted. The people responsible for deleting those twitter accounts are obstructing justice. Hopefully twitter has all the information stored on its servers.