What’s Happening:
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is one lawyer by trade that leftists might want to leave alone when it comes to challenges in court. Cruz knows the law well and is readily prepared to defend himself and his political career against attacks against his conservative opinions.
Cruz is a veteran politician, proven attorney, and an outspoken critic of liberal ideals. He is also an author who challenges any ideas he feels go against the Constitution and traditional American values. Promotions for his recent book landed him on the opposite side of leftist activists who accused him of breaking campaign ethics laws.
What the left-wing activists didn’t expect was a decision from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that shut down their claims with a unanimous decision. Cruz could have been on the hook for serious penalties until the truth was revealed.
From the Daily Caller:
FEC officials determined Cruz “did not personally benefit” from using campaign funds on Facebook ads to promote his book “One Vote Away.”
This was explained by the commission in an Aug. 14 Statement of Reasons detailing why the committee will not pursue any further action against Cruz. The FEC voted 6-0 not to pursue further action against Cruz in July, according to Cruz’s case file.
The book did sell, so what happened to money earned from book sales? The answer was simple and straightforward for the FEC. Cruz provided an affidavit showing that he directed his publisher to donate the book’s royalties to charity and that his family did not benefit financially from the book.
It looks like the accusers should have done a little more research before filing the complaint. The FEC explained in its Statement of Reasons that Cruz “directed his publisher to donate all past and future royalties from his book to charity and that neither he nor any member of his family has received any financial benefit from sales of the book or taken any tax deductions from the subsequent charitable donations.”
The decision to clear Cruz seemed simple: no personal gain, no foul. The FEC also explained that the senator’s conduct was similar to proposals the commission previously decided were permissible under the law.
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a left-wing watchdog organization, filed the FEC complaint against Cruz in 2021. Mainstream media outlets such as Forbes, CNBC, and the Daily Beast cited the complaint as if it were evidence of Cruz breaking the law. It took the FEC two years to clear the case with the complaint hanging over the senator’s head the whole time. Cruz’s book was published in 2020.
The CLC receives funding from left-wing charitable organizations and in 2022 it was reported to have received more than $25 million in total operating revenue.
Key Takeaways:
- FEC finalizes decision over campaign finance complaint against Sen. Cruz.
- Senator wrote a best-selling book that prompted leftists to attack his ethics.
- Final decision was unanimous that Cruz didn’t violate campaign laws.
Source: Daily Caller
