I’m on enough mailing lists that I get a lot of campaign/PAC/etc. solicitations. One of the ones I get pretty regularly in email are missives from “Patriots for Economic Freedom” seemingly soliciting for one or another notable conservative candidates.
Take, for example, this one for Ted Cruz. They’ve also done solicitations featuring Allen West and Mia Love, and I just got one this morning for Oklahoma Senate candidate T. W. Shannon.
Just one tiny little problem: Ted Cruz never authorized Patriots for Economic Freedom to solicit on his behalf.
Well, actually two problems: The money Patriots for Economic Freedom raises doesn’t seem to get to the candidates. Indeed, the lion’s share seems to go to consultants Tyler Whitney and Dan Backer.
That’s right: “Patriots for Economic Freedom” is a scam PAC, and has been pulling their scam since at least 2012.
I don’t know who exactly is selling Patriots for Economic Freedom their email list (though I’m looking in your direction, NRO and Breitbart), but they need to stop. Every dollar spent supporting a scam PAC is a dollar not spent actually supporting a conservative candidate.
And someone should consider suing Patriots for Economic Freedom for false advertising.
And if you want to donate to Allen West, Mia Love or T.W. Shannon, do it directly.
Tags: Crime, Dan Backer, Elections, fundraising, Lee Stranahan, Mia Love, Patriots for Economic Freedom, scam, T. W. Shannon, Ted Cruz, Tyler Whitney
I thought so. Thanks for posting.
Looks a lot like a 9/11 Memorial scam I fell for back in the day.
This past election cycle (2014) I donated to Dan Bongino (although his campaign failed to report my contribution). I’m also on the Senate Conservatives Fund mailing list. One or both must have sold my email address to the scammers. Why am I not surprised.
Thanks for the head’s up. I was leary but appreciate Trey Gowdy so very much, wanted to help.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/expenditures.php?cmte=C00524355&cycle=2014
This link says it all… no $$$ to candidates in 2014…
Close friend kept getting emails asking for donations to support Trey Gowdy, Tim Cotton, Ron Johnson, Ted Cruz so he finally decided to complete the online donation form. He entered $10, but when he received the email confirmation for the gift, it thanked him for his “very generous donation” of $1,000! We looked high and low on their webpage for phone number to contact them, but there isn’t one. We contacted VISA who gave us a contact number for them, but VISA said they could not reverse the charge!!! In the process now of sending certified letter to the NY address. Will update.
So glad I looked. I was just about to mail them money to help get rid of John McCain! Instead, I will mail the whole amount DIRECTLY to Kelli Ward. Hope she wins big! ! Thank you so much for putting this information online.