The U.S. Chamber of Commerce received an $800,000 wire transfer from billionaire donor Hank Meijer days after it endorsed his son, then-Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), in a contentious 2022 primary, according to previously unreported internal emails reviewed by The Hill.
Within days of the transfer, the Chamber spent $381,000 on “Media Advertisement – Energy and Taxes – Mentioning Rep. Peter Meijer,” according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
But because the ad — titled “Thank you, Rep. Peter Meijer” — does not explicitly advocate for his election or defeat, the pro-business lobbying giant did not have to legally disclose the donation from Hank Meijer, the co-chair and CEO of the Meijer chain of superstores. It also did not have to disclose any other potential contributions behind the $1.8 million it told the FEC it spent on “electioneering communications” that cycle.
Emails obtained by The Hill lay out the timeline of the endorsement, donation and ad buy just weeks before the Aug. 2, 2022, House GOP primary in Michigan. Campaign finance experts told The Hill that the emails pull back the curtain on a surge of “dark money” in U.S. elections, spending where the […]
We have the best government that money can buy. That’s one of our problems.
As has been said time and time again, voters need to elect Democrats who by and large support democracy (yes, there’s Menendez and one in Texas) if they want to keep our democracy and get rid of the oligarch’s money in politics. Citizens United was one of the worst laws to pass and only has created horrific candidates who do not believe in democracy, only winning and controlling this country, fascism! Until Americans wake up to this fact, the US will continue to elect these fascist types from winning elections and destroying democracy.
The Democrat’s had majorities in both the house and senate, with Biden as President. They did nothing with this issue. What makes anyone think it will be different in the future?