We told you earlier about the National Republican Trust PAC, which started a new advertising aimed at Republican donors that included the slogan, “Got trust?” I just interviewed executive director Scott Wheeler, who said his PAC aims to remind Republicans there are plenty of options for donating to groups that “don’t squander their money.”
Wheeler avoided directly criticizing Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, but said his group knows how to manage donations. He said the Trust PAC wouldn’t spend fundraising money on “nightclubs” or “fancy offices,” a reference to Steele’s woes over spending that have gotten worse in recent weeks.
“People have a right to be outraged by that. I’m not going to tell people not to donate to a Republican group, but there are a lot of options for donating money that match the values of the donor,” Wheeler said. His group spent heavily in the 2008 presidential election and in recent special elections in Massachusetts and New York.
With the loosening of campaign finance restrictions thanks to the Citizens United case, more and more political committees may spring up to circumvent the official party.
“When other groups turn up to do what should be done it makes everybody better, this scrutiny of the RNC is good for our side,” Wheeler said. His ad, which we first spotted on an unflattering-to-Steele story on the Daily Caller, says the Trust PAC is made up of “Republicans you can trust: With your principles … your time … your investment.”
