Jill Stein’s court appeal denied, 2016 campaign to repay $175,000 spent post-nomination.
Jill Stein Ordered to Repay Funds by Federal Election Commission
In a recent ruling, former Green Party candidate Jill Stein has been ordered by a judge to repay funds she received during the 2016 presidential primaries. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has declared that Stein must follow the Federal Election Commission’s order to repay $175,272 that was used to finance her campaign beyond the eligible time period.
The FEC’s Findings
The FEC found that Stein continued to use taxpayer dollars to fund her campaign past the usage deadline. According to an audit of her accounts, Stein received a total of $590,936 in matching funds during the 2016 primary and accepted a payment of $134,900 in January 2017 that she was not supposed to receive. The FEC has demanded that Stein repay the $175,272, which includes the $134,900 payment and the extra money her campaign had on hand after the presidential campaign.
Stein’s Argument and the Court’s Decision
Stein received the Green Party nomination on August 6, 2016, and her campaign raised funds after gaining the nomination. However, the FEC asserted that this money was improperly used. Stein failed to contest the FEC’s audit on time, which could have shown that the funds were used for campaign winding down costs and potentially offset her repayment obligation. Stein and her campaign committee filed a petition to review the order, arguing that the cutoff point should have been the deadline for the Peace and Freedom Party nomination, which she was also seeking. However, the FEC deemed this argument invalid, as the Peace and Freedom Party’s nominating process deadline was in July 2016.
Judge Gregory G. Katsas wrote in the opinion that Stein’s efforts to gain ballot access in various states until September 9, 2016, were not sufficient to justify the use of taxpayer money. The court upheld the FEC’s ruling, stating that the matching payment period definition was constitutional as applied to Stein and that the FEC’s forfeiture holding was not arbitrary.
It remains to be seen how Stein will respond to the court’s decision and the order to repay the funds.
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