Federal Election Commission deadlocks, won't punish Trump
The Federal Election Commission has decided not to take action against former President Donald Trump after commissioners deadlocked over whether his campaign broke the law by masking how it was spending cash during the 2020 campaign.
![How a leading anti-Trump group ignored a crisis in its ranks](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/QIVEJfEykxg7xxKGx3EclLgr37Q=/1223x862/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/7RAOEVYIFNCHJDYUOU3VJV445A.jpg)
How a leading anti-Trump group ignored a crisis in its ranks
In this Jan. 20, 2016 file photo, John Weaver is shown on a campaign bus in Bow, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)WASHINGTON โ Last June, the Lincoln Project was on a high. Of the $90 million Lincoln Project has raised, more than $50 million has gone to firms controlled by the group's leaders. Others used the money earned during their time with Lincoln Project to refinance homes, or purchase a new one. AdAt least two Lincoln Project employees were targeted last year, including an intern who was finishing law school, and a communications staffer.
![How Trump plowed through $1 billion, losing cash advantage](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/wWdDhKv1xhCrbm4KWWgCRSgFOVU=/1600x1067/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TYNQYSRN7FBNLGDBEABRVK6MIU.jpg)
How Trump plowed through $1 billion, losing cash advantage
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien insisted money was no issue. And itโs just not a good sign for the Trump campaign,โ Ridout said. A review of expenditures by Trumpโs campaign, as well as the Republican National Committee, lays bare some of the profligate spending. โ Over $7.4 million spent at Trump-branded properties since 2017. โ At least $35.9 million spent on Trump merchandise.
![How Trump plowed through $1 billion, losing cash advantage](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/LQ-7tQTfIFzFnKp3vD_WgkOl8HA=/1600x1068/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/UDOIFAMF5FHTLDECTA3MHCWRO4.jpg)
How Trump plowed through $1 billion, losing cash advantage
This time around, though, he was betting on a massive cash advantage to negatively define Biden and to defend his own record. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien insisted money was no issue. And itโs just not a good sign for the Trump campaign,โ Ridout said. โ Over $7.4 million spent at Trump-branded properties since 2017. โ At least $35.9 million spent on Trump merchandise.
![One month out, battered Trump campaign faces big challenges](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/nfyoG6m-rPBSTWf0jeUX-7BVyyM=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ADWYIH4A6ZDFPJTY5TGZSJRV7M.jpg)
One month out, battered Trump campaign faces big challenges
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was also in the room, but not pictured, according to the White House. (Tia Dufour/The White House via AP)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trumpโs long-hidden tax returns leaked out. And even the first lady was captured on tape expressing disdain for having to decorate the White House for Christmas. Pence attended a Sept. 26 White House event where Trump announced his Supreme Court pick. Still, Zelizer said it would be premature to count Trump out, with a full month to go until Election Day.
![One month out, battered Trump campaign faces big challenges](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/5Ykfoc9wBBIYxCo4NheMkUY_dIE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/UFAOMFCMHVDMNK7I5YF76F3AOQ.jpg)
One month out, battered Trump campaign faces big challenges
Trump's reelection team, battered on all sides, now enters the final month of the campaign grappling with deficits in the polls, a shortage of cash and a candidate who is at least temporarily sidelined. Both heads of Trumpโs political apparatus โ campaign manager Bill Stepien and Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel โ tested positive for COVID-19 this week. We have a month to go,โ senior campaign adviser Jason Miller said Sunday on NBC's โMeet the Press." โHeโs losing, and the debate was a disaster, and the campaign is imploding,โ said Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, a vocal Trump critic. Still, Zelizer said it would be premature to count Trump out, with a full month to go until Election Day.
![Parscale steps back from Trump team after hospitalization](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/-AUHeIROqJMYlZym2AKHGdYrPbE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/CGL3FMMQF5HBZMNCD2LWIVE4SA.jpg)
Parscale steps back from Trump team after hospitalization
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump's former campaign manager is stepping away from the reelection campaign days after he was hospitalized after Florida law enforcement officials said threatened to harm himself. Brad Parscale, one of Trump's closest political aides, served as the campaign manager for the reelection effort until July, when he was demoted by Trump. Parscale's break with the Trump campaign was first reported by Politico and was confirmed Wednesday by a campaign official. On Sunday, police officers talked Parscale out of his Fort Lauderdale home after his wife called police to say that he had multiple firearms and was threatening to hurt himself. Parscale's firm developed websites for Trump's personal businesses before working on his 2016 presidential campaign, where he was credited with overseeing the campaign's largely unnoticed โ but influential โ social media efforts that helped promote Trump to the Oval Office.
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Police: Friend convinced Trump ex-campaign boss to surrender
Parscale was hospitalized Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, after he threatened to harm himself, according to Florida police and campaign officials. When Wilson arrived at the Fort Lauderdale home, he was able to persuade Parscale to come outside. Body camera footage released Monday shows officers rushing Parscale and knocking him to the ground before taking him into custody. The wife told officers that Parscale had been stressed out recently and that he had made comments about shooting himself, according to a police report. A furious Trump was left staring at a sea of empty seats and, weeks later, promoted Bill Stepien to campaign manager.
![Trump ex-campaign boss hospitalized amid threat to harm self](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/PttS8UwucRR4QgRg4Ci_Voovlq0=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/22KI2RXTF5GFNFRJSZQ3O35SNY.jpg)
Trump ex-campaign boss hospitalized amid threat to harm self
FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2019, file photo, Brad Parscale, then-campaign manager for President Donald Trump, speaks during a campaign rally at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Parscale was hospitalized Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, after he threatened to harm himself, according to Florida police and campaign officials. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. โ President Donald Trumpโs former campaign manager Brad Parscale was hospitalized Sunday after he threatened to harm himself, according to Florida police and campaign officials. โBrad Parscale is a member of our family and we love him,โ said Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. Parscale was originally hired to run Trumpโs 2016 campaign by Jared Kushner, the presidentโs powerful son-in-law.
![Trump raises $210 million, robust but well short of Biden](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/ijdPhvqVckcfmk5l3jYPyRLSPnc=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TEGDDCC6HVCXZAS276SMTGT4HI.jpg)
Trump raises $210 million, robust but well short of Biden
NEW YORK President Donald Trump and his Republican Party jointly raised $210 million in August, a robust sum but one dwarfed by the record $364.5 million raised by Democrats and their nominee, Joe Biden. Both campaigns are raising massive amounts of money but have very different priorities about how to spend it, said Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien. The Trump campaign, however, faces questions about how it has managed to lose a massive financial advantage. Trump campaign officials have kicked off a review of expenditures, including those authorized by former campaign manager Brad Parscale, who was demoted this summer. But even Parscales internal critics give him credit for helping the Trump campaign construct an unparalleled Republican operation to attract small donors online.
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Watchdog group: Trump campaign improperly masking payments
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trumpโs reelection effort allegedly hid nearly $170 million in spending from mandatory public disclosure by routing payments through companies tied to his former campaign manager, a government oversight group said Tuesday. Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh disputed the allegations and said the "campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations.โMost of the payments by Trump's campaign committees were made to American Made Media Consultants, which has received at least $177 million since 2018, according to FEC records. The campaign said that American Made Media Consultants was formed to purchase advertising directly โ and save money by not relying on middlemen. "The campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by the FEC.โBrendan Fischer, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center, said the campaign is improperly avoiding mandatory disclosure. โThis illegal conduit scheme leaves voters in the dark about the entities working for the Trump campaign, the nature of their services, and the full amount they are paid," said Brendan Fischer, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center.
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After Trump campaign swap, questions and Kushner remain
Trumps long-in-coming campaign shakeup rearranged some big job titles but isn't likely to change the identity of the person truly in charge of day-to-day operations: Kushner. But it also shows a new willingness by Trump to diversify his inner circle, even if Kushner remains at the helm. That process began when Trump first elevated Stepien to senior adviser and returned Jason Miller to the campaign last month. We have a better team, better voter information, a better ground game, better fundraising, and most importantly, a better candidate with a better record, Stepien said. Despite the campaign shakeup, most in the GOP believe the candidate will determine his own fate.
![Trump replaces campaign manager amid sinking poll numbers](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/YJRW1c4JCxqVx9Vxf-9Mcft0sGk=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Y6ACDX6ZIRCD7GI4GT4RBAB5JU.jpg)
Trump replaces campaign manager amid sinking poll numbers
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff amid sinking poll numbers less than four months before the election, replacing campaign manager Brad Parscale with veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien. I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager, Trump said Wednesday on Facebook. Chris Christie and serving as Trumps national field director in 2016. Parscales digital advertising firm was among the campaigns most significant vendors, and some in Trumps orbit have alleged that the former campaign manager was profiting off the presidents reelection. Schultz is now at the Democratic National Committee, helping lead the joint battleground strategy among the national party, the Biden campaign and state parties.
![Trump shakes up campaign after mishaps, replacing Parscale](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/dszAeYWaU3AXG9aYap5ict0mFpk=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/4GV3IPHIBZC7VI64NE43I6AXDU.jpg)
Trump shakes up campaign after mishaps, replacing Parscale
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff Wednesday, replacing campaign manager Brad Parscale with veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien. Trump and Parscales relationship had been strained since a Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally that drew a dismal crowd, infuriating the president. Parscale, a political novice, ran Trumps digital advertising in 2016 and was credited with helping bring about his surprise victory. Stepien has been in politics for years, working for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and serving as Trumps national field director in 2016.
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Trump rails against mail voting. His aides have embraced it
The aides include Betsy DeVos, the education secretary who has permanent absentee voting status in her home state of Michigan. Two other senior Trump campaign officials chief operating officer Michael Glassner and deputy campaign manager Bill Stepien have repeatedly voted by mail in New Jersey. Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign's communications director, defended the Trump aides who have voted by mail. Yet its unclear if he traveled to San Antonio, where his presence would have disqualified him from voting absentee. Glassner and Stepien have both voted repeatedly by mail in New Jersey, where Glassner has voted absentee four times since 2016.
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Did TikTok teens, K-Pop fans punk Trump's comeback rally?
OAKLAND, Calif. โ Did teens, TikTok users and fans of Korean pop music troll the president of the United States? Reached by telephone Sunday, Schmidt called the rally an โunmitigated disasterโ โ days after Trump campaign chairman Brad Parscale tweeted that more than a million people requested tickets for the rally through Trumpโs campaign website. In a statement, the Trump campaign blamed the โfake news media" for โwarning people away from the rally" over COVID-19 and protests against racial injustice around the country. โReporters who wrote gleefully about TikTok and K-Pop fans โ without contacting the campaign for comment โ behaved unprofessionally and were willing dupes to the charade." โNo matter who signs up or if they go to a rally, Trump gets data to train retargeting on Facebook.
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Trump team seeks 4th debate with Biden, cites voting by mail
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's campaign is requesting a fourth debate with his presumptive Democratic rival, citing an expected surge in mail and absentee voting this fall because of the coronavirus. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made the request Thursday in a call with Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-chair of the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Fahrenkopf indicated that the debates commission would take the Trump campaign's suggestions under advisement, the person said. He played a similar role in 2016 after Paul Manafort was ousted as Trump campaign chairman. The commission has organized every general election presidential debate since 1988.