Meadows ally sentenced to probation for illegal campaign contribution

A Republican candidate who unsuccessfully ran for former Rep. Mark Meadows’s (R-N.C.) House seat in 2020 was sentenced to a year of probation on Tuesday for accepting an illegal campaign contribution.

Lynda Bennett, who ultimately lost in the Republican primary to Madison Cawthorn despite endorsements from both Meadows and former President Trump, was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine.

Bennett pleaded guilty in March to accepting a contribution in the name of another, after she borrowed $25,000 from a family member that she reported as part of a personal loan to her campaign, rather than as a third-party campaign contribution.

Third-party campaign contributions were capped at $2,800 per election in 2020, while a candidate’s personal contributions to their campaign are not subject to any limits, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Bennett ran for Meadows’s former House seat after he left to serve as Trump’s chief of staff in 2020. She lost by about 32 points to Cawthorn, who went on to win the House seat.

Meadows’s wife, Debbie Meadows, reportedly encouraged Trump to back Bennett, who is a close friend of hers, according to Axios.