WASHINGTON – The already scandal-stained Minnesota Republican Party is beset again. The Federal Election Commission has fined the Party $110,000 for campaign finance violations during the 2018 and 2020 election cycles. After an audit uncovered $1.6 million irregularities, the agency voted 4-2 to lev the fines. The irregularities occurred when Jennifer Carnahan was state party chair and Federal and Lee Prinkillas were treasurers. Carnahan was forced out of party leadership in 2021 after revelations that she and her husband, Congressman Jim Hagedorn of southern Minnesota, had accepted major donations from a close associate accused of teen-age sex trafficking. The Prinkillas also have since been stricken from party directories. In summary, the audit reported violations 12 regulations regarding the accurate reporting of $1.6 million in campaign spending as well as accepting more than $48,000 in campaign donations above federal legal limits.
2018 campaign irregularities
> Insufficient employee logs for $298,000.
> Insufficient records for $713,000 in disbursements to 13 different vendors.
> Errors on transfers for $64,300 to party committees.
> Failure to report allocation ratios for $73,000 for expenses and disbursements.
> Failure to properly disclose the purpose and the terms of $526,000 in bank loans and lines of credit.
2020 campaign irregularities
> Failure to report timely and accurate receipts and disbursements contributions exceeding the $10,000 legal limit.
> Acceptance of $59,000 from 11 individuals exceedig the $10,000 max.
GOP recidivism
The new finesnare ot the first time the Federal Election Commission has penalized the Minnes0tan Republican Party. The party paid unrelated fines in 2011 and 2012.
Federal Election Commission profile
The Federal Election Commission is an independent governent agency to enforce campaign finance laws. Its members are appointed by the president and must include representatives of both major political parties. The Commission ws unable to function during much of the Trump administration because Trump reused to fill vacancies. There no quorm. Even when eventually staffed under President Biden, the Commission deadlocked because it had equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. There was tie-breaking vote. Controversial investigations went unpursued. At one point 350 matters were unaddressed on the agency’s docket. In 2020, President Biden appointed three commissioners to restore a quorum. In the case of the Minnesota Republican Party, the irregularties, were so egregious that commissers voted 4-2 to invoke penalties, Republican Commissioner Allen Dickerson joined the three Democrats — Chairwoman Dara Lindenbaum and commissioners Shana Broussard and Ellen Weintraub – voted to issue a fine. Republican commissioners Trey Trainor and Sean Cooksey dissented.