Groups call on DOJ to investigate Trump campaign

Two watchdog groups are calling on the Department of Justice to investigate whether Donald Trump’s campaign committee violated federal campaign finance laws.

{mosads}In a letter to the agency on Friday, Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center said published reports indicate that the Trump committee has solicited contributions from foreign nationals, in violation of the ban on soliciting any contribution in connection with a federal, state or local election from a foreign national.

Late last month, the groups filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that the Trump committee had violated the foreign solicitation ban by sending multiple fundraising emails to foreign political leaders, in at least four different countries, at their official foreign government email addresses.

Though the Trump committee would have been sent a copy of the complaint, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 cited The Hill’s July 16 report that the billionaire’s campaign is still soliciting illegal donations from foreign individuals – including members of foreign governments at their official email addresses – despite the warnings.

“Although the FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over civil enforcement of the campaign finance laws, the Department of Justice has its own separate responsibility to enforce the campaign finance laws against ‘knowing and willful’ criminal violations of the law,” the groups said in their letter to the DOJ.