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The Business Industry Political Action Committee — the nation's oldest federal business PAC and friends with some of the biggest names in corporate America — just became the latest political committee to fall victim to thieves.
In all, BIPAC on Feb. 27 lost $14,156.89 to "an individual not associated with" the committee, according to new documents filed with the Federal Election Commission and reviewed by Raw Story.
To steal the money, the unknown perpetrator used "a forged image of a BIPAC check and not an actual check used for business purposes," BIPAC told federal regulators.
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BIPAC President and CEO Tim Riordan on Wednesday told Raw Story that his organization quickly contacted three law enforcement agencies — the FBI, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service — to report the crime. A Washington Police incident report indicates an investigation is "pending."
BIPAC wasn't without its money for long, as its bank reimbursed the committee for the money lost, Riordan confirmed. But no money has been recovered from the thief, who remains at large.
At the time of the thefts, BIPAC did not have in place a "positive pay" system to deter check fraud. Such a system, used by financial institutions, flags suspicious checks for further review — often at a small cost to the check issuer.
Since the theft, BIPAC has instituted a positive pay system, Riordan urged BIPAC associates to do the same.
Defending against political committee theft "requires a level of diligence," he said. "It needs to be paid attention to. It's happening more."
A bipartisan PAC, BIPAC is affiliated with dozens of different corporate entities across the country. Recent donors to BIPAC include executives or PACs associated with International Paper Company, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Halliburton Company, Rolls Royce North America, General Atomics and the American Rental Association, according to federal records. Its website also lists eBay, Volvo Group North America and Phillips 66 among its associated companies.
In turn, BIPAC made four-figure contributions to two-dozen federal-level political candidates during the 2021-2022 election cycle, including Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Michael Guest (R-MS) and Sharice Davids (D-KS), per federal records.
It reported having $23,405 cash on hand as of Feb. 28, according to a filing with the FEC.
Epidemic of political committee fraud
Raw Story in recent weeks has identified several current and former Republican members of Congress who’ve been victimized by fraudsters in what’s fast becoming open season on politicians’ campaign accounts.
Money losers include Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas ($690,000), Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas ($157,626), former Rep. John Katko of New York ($14,000), Rep. Neal Dunn of Florida ($10,855), Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina ($2,607.98) and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida ($362.04).
The Republican National Committee and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) also experienced recent campaign cash thefts.
The problem isn’t unique to Republicans, either: President Joe Biden’s 2020 Democratic presidential campaign committee lost at least $71,000.
One-time Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and rapper-turned-2020 presidential candidate Ye, formerly Kanye West, are among others who reported money stolen from their political accounts.
Recently, the federal PAC of State Farm Insurance lost $12,220 to thieves, Raw Story first reported.
The McKesson Corporation, a pharmaceutical and medical supplies company, informed the FEC that it, too, had fallen victim to someone who "created, forged and cashed a fictitious PAC check for $12,000" on Nov. 7.
The McKesson Company Employees Political Fund notified its bank "immediately upon discovery of the fraudulent activity" and attempted to secure return of the lost funds.
"To date," the committee added, "the bank has not returned the stolen funds."
The political action committees of Google, National Association of Manufacturers, Consumer Technology Association, National Association of Home Builders, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, MoveOn.org, and law firms Akerman LLP and Blank Rome LLP have also experienced theft of various kinds, be it cyber theft, forgeries or check tampering, according to Insider.
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In a new statement on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump took one of his fiercest swipes at Ron DeSantis yet, attacking his leadership as governor of Florida.
"Now that Ron DeSanctimonious is finally admitting he’s in the Race by beginning to fight back, and now that his Polls have crashed so he has no other choice, let me explain the facts," wrote Trump. "He is, for a Republican, an average Governor, he got 1.2 million less Votes in Florida than me, he fought for massive cuts in Social Security and Medicare, and wanted Social Security minimum age to be raised to 70-years-old, or more. He is a disciple of Paul Ryan, and did whatever Ryan told him to do."
Trump went on to say that while Florida "has been successful for many years, long before I put Ron there—It’s amazing what Ocean and Sunshine will do!" DeSantis has been mediocre on crucial issues.
"In Education, Florida ranks among the worst in the Country and on crime statistics, Florida ranked Third Worst in Murder, Third Worst in Rape, and Third Worst in Aggravated Assault," wrote Trump. "For 2022, Jacksonville was ranked as one of the Top 25 Major Crime Cities in the Country, with Tampa and Orlando not doing much better. On Education, Florida ranks #39 in Health & Safety in the Country, #50 in Affordability, and #30 in Education & Childcare, HARDLY GREATNESS THERE!"
IN OTHER NEWS: Legal expert identifies Trump’s three biggest legal threats: ‘If I was Trump's lawyer, I would be worried’
This comes at a moment when DeSantis, like other Republicans, is accusing New York prosecutors of ignoring crime to focus on the bookkeeping fraud case against Trump.
"The fact is, Ron is an average Governor, but the best by far in the Country in one category, Public Relations, where he easily ranks Number One — But it is all a Mirage, just look at the facts and figures, they don’t lie," Trump concluded. "And we don’t want Ron as our President!"
A recent poll by Monmouth University found that DeSantis, who has not yet formally declared a presidential run but is widely expected to, has now slipped behind Trump among 2024 primary voters after previously holding a lead.
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Lawyer Corcoran's 'critical evidence' will help DOJ make a decision to charge Trump: former prosecutor
March 22, 2023
Donald Trump's attorney Evan Corcoran, who allegedly directed another Trump attorney to draft the false statement claiming all classified and sensitive documents had been returned, has been ordered to testify before a grand jury and hand over documents and records to Special Counsel Jack Smith in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents criminal investigation.
Trump appealed U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's decision ordering Corcoran to testify and hand over documents, including handwritten notes. The Appeals Court in light speed mode, rejected Trump's appeal.
Corcoran will be testifying before the grand jury on Friday, CNN reports.
One former top DOJ official, Brandon Van Grack, says the "Special Counsel is about to get access to the most critical evidence in the case. Should allow DOJ to make a charging decision without significant delay."
He did not define what "without significant delay" means in terms of days, weeks, or months.
Van Grack served at Main Justice for eleven years, including as a lead prosecutor in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, and later, as the Chief of the DOJ’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit.
"The announcement from a panel of three judges in the appeals court – less than a day after Trump sought to put Corcoran’s testimony on hold – adds momentum to the special counsel investigation as it seeks to secure evidence that could make or break a federal criminal case against Trump," CNN explains. "The Justice Department has successfully argued in court that prosecutors have enough evidence that Trump’s interactions with the lawyer were part of a possible crime that they can pierce the confidentiality of the conversations between the two."
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