Breaking news: FEC 639 pages of Sanders "excessive, prohibited, and impermissible contributions".

[factfinder_77]

The FEC just issued Bernie Sanders' campaign 639 pages of apparent "excessive, prohibited, and impermissible contributions" for April 2016



http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/847/201605100300045847/201605100300045847.pdf

[Sancho]

1. KOS excerpt

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/5/11/1525428/-FEC-releases-damning-639-pages-of-violations-by-Bernie-Sanders-campaign

By the way these are problems that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump do not have at all. This is a uniquely Bernie Sanders problem, one that brings questions about his understanding of campaign finance laws, his team’s understanding of those same laws and whether or not there is a knowing plan to deceive the FEC in order to raise funds. This is why a Bernie Sanders campaign is dangerous because he and his team are making such rookie mistakes that it brings into question things that should not be questions. How can Bernie rally against Wall Street when it is clear he and his team have no clue how to follow existing laws. How can Bernie complain about money in politics when it’s obvious he and his team have no clue how to follow those existing laws. Or is Bernie saying money in politics, through any means necessary, is good for him but not for anyone else which is a similar stance from his campaign on superdelegates. Also while Bernie complains about what the Hillary Victory Fund and SuperPACs do with their money, he is actively violating campaign finance laws and the only question that remains here is is he doing it willing, is a member of his team doing it willingly and which person will fall on the sword when it comes time to answer questions about how much fraud is going on in the Bernie 2016 campaign.

[elleng]

4. The FEC said THIS? Or are you pretending?

'This is why a Bernie Sanders campaign is dangerous because he and his team are making such rookie mistakes that it brings into question things that should not be questions. How can Bernie rally against Wall Street when it is clear he and his team have no clue how to follow existing laws. How can Bernie complain about money in politics when it’s obvious he and his team have no clue how to follow those existing laws. Or is Bernie saying money in politics, through any means necessary, is good for him but not for anyone else which is a similar stance from his campaign on superdelegates. Also while Bernie complains about what the Hillary Victory Fund and SuperPACs do with their money, he is actively violating campaign finance laws and the only question that remains here is is he doing it willing, is a member of his team doing it willingly and which person will fall on the sword when it comes time to answer questions about how much fraud is going on in the Bernie 2016 campaign.'

[Sancho]

7. That was a KOS article...edited to include link

The FEC has repeatedly sent letters to Bernie's campaign. He doesn't seem to want to follow the law.

[elleng]

12. Thanks for info about KOS.

[CentralCoaster]

22. I like tomatoes on my nothingburger, how about you, Ellen?

Gee, when you have millions and millions of small contributions the mistakes add up.



I saw Bernie yesterday!

[elleng]

29. Ain't been to 'nothingburger,' but hope to add home-grown tomatoes to grilled burgers this summer!

I looked at the first few contributors, particularly #1 +2, Abdelmeguid and Abramovitz. Those 2 are more than small contributions > mistakes, imo, and do require attention. I wonder what if anything the Sanders campaign has to say to such. When I contributed to MO'M's campaign they were in touch with me regularly, with thanks.

Glad you saw Bernie yesterday. Am tired of all the 'grumpiness' around here.

[CentralCoaster]

62. Bernie was cool and collected, tireless, and his only negative call outs were against Trump.

Largely uplifting and I was, oddly, somehow more stunned at seeing Jane than him.

I mean Bernie at the waterfront under the giant canvas pavilion thing, cool, I was expecting that, but Jane there with him, so adorable and she's all smiles all day long, no scowls or frowns on her.

She's fired up and she's smart. She's goes out with him and then falls back, and you can tell when he's reaching the end of his time because they queue her up and she joins him for their farewell before departure.

Well, he hits the police line for handshakes with her and then they leave.

[lagomorph777]

13. Nice hit piece but a scan of the original document shows what's really going on

Some Bernie supporters (e.g. Jeremy Abramowitz) get into a habit of donating daily or weekly - say $1.50 to $100 a pop. They lose track, and before the campaign detects it, they've made dozens more donations. There's a lag in refunding all that money (still a tiny amount). Big freakin' deal. Bernie has millions of small donors; many of whom have never donated to a campaign before. Inexperienced donors plus tons of bookkeeping = delay and errors.

http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/847/201605100300045847/201605100300045847.pdf

[factfinder_77]

18. Sanders has been bragging about his fundraising and bashing Hillary and the DNC

it's certainly not uncommon but what makes this different is that Sanders has been bragging about his fundraising and bashing Hillary and the DNC even so far as to accuse them of money laundering.

His campaign is essentially using millions of dollars of illegal donations as short-term loans which may ultimately be paid back with the very same fundraising he has been criticizing.

Remember that the donors going over the limit and the foreigners are getting their money back; it's the DNC and HRC donors that are more than likely going to be on the hook. Revolutions are easy when your opponent is buying

[frylock]

43. Second graduating class at Brock U.

[lagomorph777]

24. There's a small difference in the number of zeroes (dollars and number of donors)

Dozens of gigantic superpac contributions are easier/faster to track than millions of tiny donations. We're not that easily fooled here.

The number of questions vs number of donations is actually remarkably small.

[emsimon33]

30. I hope that Brock's Super Pac knows how little their $$$ are buying!

[puffy socks]

39. Lalalala

art is pluggin' his/her ears and can't heeear yooooou!
then runs to the "you have such n such number of posts" line

what a ridiculous way to try and deflect!

[scscholar]

53. And, it's now coming back to bite him

Don't throw rocks if you live in glass houses.

[redwitch]

64. 6 weeks and 8 hides?

So lovely to have you here!

[pnwmom]

70. There's no excuse for the campaign's continuing problem with a mysterious donor

named Belinda Barcock, who doesn't seem to exist in the real world, but is listed on page 23 of the FEC's attachments as having given more than $40,000 to the campaign. The limit is $2700. Most but not all of it has been returned -- they still have received an excessive amount. Why does the campaign continue to accept and then return these donations and who is she?

The FEC had already listed her in earlier reports as having given very excessive donations. So why hasn't Bernie's campaign acted to prevent more illegal donations?

[politicaljunkie41910]

47. Rookie mistake???? Bernie's only been a congressman for 25 years and raising funds for campaigns.

That's the problem when you're a purist and you publicly call other people's integrity into question. The rest of us find out that your shit stinks too. Get your own house in order Bernie. No one likes a hypocrite.

[Mnpaul]

69. What was Hillary's excuse?

I believe her top fundraiser from last time is still in jail.

[Hare Krishna]

2. Hillary is pressuring the FEC

Again, the FEC queries are ridiculous. Evey dollar has been accounted for.

FEC, start with "Correct the Record". Plenty to investigate.

[hrmjustin]

6. Do you have proof of this?

[hrmjustin]

10. You seem nice.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

28. LOL

[leftynyc]

11. LOL

What a bunch of freeper inspired bullshit. I have no idea who you clowns with less than 20 posts think you're kidding with this bullshit.

[factfinder_77]

20. shouldn't his campaign have a way to automatically tell people when they've donated the maximum?

. It's why last month when Sanders got the 270 page letter, Clinton got a 2 page letter. No matter what though, it's almost invariable that there will be something the FEC finds with how many donations the campaigns take and all the money flying all over the place.

[Ed Suspicious]

78. Yeah? Maybe you could offer your coding services to Act Blue. You seem to have a real handle on

the possible.

[hrmjustin]

3. That is a lot of pages.

[Sheepshank]

37. add that to the previous 700+ pages and you have a good idea that the BS campaign is clueless

[lagomorph777]

38. Each page is 41 donations, typically from fewer donors.

Say, an average of 10 donors per page, and most of that donor's contributions are under the limit. So perhaps 5% of the document is actual over-the-limit donations. Much of the complaint is that reasons for refunds weren't provided, though the reason is generally self-evident, and - hello - the refunds have mostly been made. So actual lagging refunds are probably 2% of the lines in the document.

Bernie has 2 million donors, and (estimating from this document) that probably represents 10 million donations. So a document that asks questions about 0.014% of his donations is not exactly a big story.

What else ya got?

[hrmjustin]

52. Why do you mean what else I got?

[politicaljunkie41910]

55. Says you. You're doing a lot of speculating there. The refund issues were confined to a couple of

pages. Also there are a lot of contributions on the same day involving the same individuals multiple times on the same day. Perhaps someone intentionally trying to skirt around the limits thinking no one will know because they can't check them all. Well guess what? They seem to be checking them all. And it's not like this is Bernie's first Rodeo. Bernie's been a congressman for 25 years. He's not some novice who just got off the boat.

This isn't the first time that Bernie's been put on notice about this problem. It seems to be happening every month. That is the problem when you're a purist and you call people out publicly questioning their integrity. All of us quickly can see that Bernie's shit stinks too.

[Yurovsky]

5. Heaven forbid the great unwashed donate to Bernie...

Everybody knows you have to kiss the ring of the corporate overlords. That is how you fund a major campaign.

[TCJ70]

8. This is the kind of stuff that ensures big money stays in politics...

...it's become so expensive that conventional wisdom says "Well I have to get all my money from big donors!" and when somebody defies that with individual, small donations from tons of people it turns out to be against the rules. It's easy for Clinton's big donors to write one check, not have to worry about writing another one. If you're a Bernie donor giving 100-200 at a time, you may not keep track of how much you're giving.

[factfinder_77]

16. That is not the issue...

Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 3/1/16 $3,500.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 1/22/16 $250.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 1/27/16 $2,000.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 1/29/16 $250.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 2/29/16 $2,700.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 2/29/16 $2,700.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 2/29/16 $169.05 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 3/17/16 $35.00 P2016
Abdelmeguid, Ahmed 3/17/16 $1,000.00 P2016

Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/22/16 $150.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/23/16 $150.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/26/16 $100.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/28/16 $100.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/29/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/29/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/29/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/29/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/30/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/30/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/30/16 $100.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/30/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/31/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/31/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/31/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 1/31/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/1/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/1/16 $18.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/1/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/1/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/1/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/1/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/2/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/3/16 $250.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/3/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/4/16 $78.65 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/4/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/4/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/5/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/5/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/5/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/5/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/6/16 $35.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/6/16 $157.92 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/7/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/8/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/8/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/9/16 $100.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/10/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/11/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/12/16 $3.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/12/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/13/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/13/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/15/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/15/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/15/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/17/16 $1.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/17/16 $35.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/18/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/19/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/19/16 $1.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/19/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/20/16 $188.49 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/20/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/20/16 $50.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/21/16 $15.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/21/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/22/16 $3.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/23/16 $27.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/23/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/26/16 $3.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/26/16 $20.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/26/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/27/16 $10.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/27/16 $27.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/28/16 $2.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $10.00 P2016

Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $35.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $180.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $5.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $18.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 2/29/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/1/16 $2.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $2.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $1.00 P2016
Attachment Page 3 of 639
Image# 201605100300045856
Excessive, Prohibited, and Impermissible Contributions BERNIE 2016 (C00577130) Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $10.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $108.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $2.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/2/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/3/16 $2.70 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/3/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/3/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/4/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/4/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/5/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/5/16 $2.70 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/5/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/5/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/7/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/7/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/7/16 $2.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/7/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/9/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/9/16 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/9/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/12/16 $188.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/14/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/14/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/14/16 $188.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/14/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/14/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/16/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/16/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/16/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/17/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/19/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/19/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/20/16 $2.70 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/21/16 $2.70 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/24/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/24/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/26/16 $3.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/26/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/27/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/27/16 $1.00 P2016
Attachment Page 4 of 639
Image# 201605100300045857
Excessive, Prohibited, and Impermissible Contributions BERNIE 2016 (C00577130) Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/28/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/30/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $1.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $15.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Jeremy 3/31/16 $27.00 P2016
Abramowitz, Nancy 10/13/15 $200.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 12/9/15 $250.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 12/31/15 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 1/7/16 $250.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 1/16/16 $35.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 1/31/16 $75.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/3/16 $75.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/6/16 $82.92 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/9/16 $250.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/13/16 $304.74 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/20/16 $250.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/25/16 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 2/28/16 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/2/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/4/16 $100.00 P2016
Attachment Page 5 of 639
Image# 201605100300045858
Excessive, Prohibited, and Impermissible Contributions BERNIE 2016 (C00577130) Abramowitz, Nancy 3/5/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/9/16 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/9/16 $27.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/11/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/13/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/16/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/22/16 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/25/16 $50.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/26/16 $100.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/29/16 $107.00 P2016 Abramowitz, Nancy 3/29/16 $107.00 P2016

[lagomorph777]

25. Your excerpt demonstrates that it IS the issue.

It's very much a problem of massive volume of small donations.

[Sheepshank]

41. lol there are many many donation of $1.....gotta get that average to $27

the whole small donor thing is a farce.

[frylock]

44. I'm not kidding, Maddi!

[still_one]

31. This is not rocket science. When I donate to Hillary, I get a notice how much I have donated

Why wouldn't the software Sanders is using check for excess contributions, so it wouldn't be allowed?

[imagine2015]

32. So does that add up to a few million bucks? LOL Small change indeed. Compared to Hillary.

[azurnoir]

14. we have 639 pages of individuals who donated too much

usually in small donations like $10.00 meanwhile Hillary can rake in millions in dark money via superpac's and no one bats an eye

[NurseJackie]

15. Sounds serious, but are these criminal violations? Could someone actually go to jail for this?

Or is it just an embarrassing public scolding, and a slap-on-the-wrist fine?

And if it's just a fine ... is the monetary penalty LESS than the amount of illegal campaign contributions?

Could it be a calculated risk where the actual benefit outweighs the cost if caught?

[factfinder_77]

17. Basically, they have until June to refund

Basically, they have until June to refund any excessive or prohibited contributions. The FEC can take "legal action"

[Sheepshank]

42. I'd bet he'll have it all spent by June

so typical....illegally take money to spend against a candidate. Money that should never have been accepted and therefore never spent in the first place. But having spent that money to hurt a candidate, there is no money left to refund, but the job is done.

lying, stealing, cheating and unethical....Saint Bernard?

[still_one]

26. Perhaps we should call for an FBI investigation........

[NurseJackie]

45. It wouldn't surprise me if something was already in the works.

This isn't just some "glitch" or one-off bookkeeping error. This is MASSIVE and flagrant disregarding of the LAW.

If this doesn't sink Bernie's campaign, his reputation just becomes more tarnished. Bernie's already fired his communications director for the data theft episode ... I wonder if more heads-will-roll (figuratively speaking, of course) among his campaign staff for these repeated violations.

[still_one]

46. The software the Sanders' campaign uses should really be checking that. Each time I make an online

donation to Hillary, I get a running tab of how much I have already donated.

[NurseJackie]

49. A high-school graduate with a basic understanding of MS-Excel or ...

... a working knowledge MS-Access could do better. I don't even think Bernie's campaign is even bothering to check. Here's what I imagine is going on at their headquarters.

[still_one]

51. Well this is relatively new, so I can understand the confusion

"In 1971, Congress passed the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), instituting various campaign finance disclosure requirements for federal candidates (those running for the House, the Senate, the President and the Vice President), political parties, and political action committees. In 1974, Congress passed amendments to the FECA establishing a comprehensive system of regulation and enforcement, including public financing of presidential campaigns and the creation of a central enforcement agency, the Federal Election Commission. The new regulations included limits on campaign finance, including caps on (1) individual contributions to candidates, (2) contributions to candidates by “political committees” (commonly known as Political Action Committees, or PACs), (3) total campaign expenditures, and (4) independent expenditures by individuals and groups "relative to a clearly identified candidate."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_finance_in_the_United_States#History_of_federal_campaign_finance_reform

[NurseJackie]

54. Forty-five years isn't much time to figure out ways to CIRCUMVENT THE LAW!

Total amateurs, eh?

[Jackie Wilson Said]

34. We all agree Bernie Sanders is a decent, honorable man. His campaign people

may not be as sophisticated as some, they may be missing stuff they shouldnt miss.

If there are fines to pay then they will pay them, but all good liberals know that Bernie is not dishonest.

I dont think Hillary is guilty of this or any other campaign issues either.

[Demsrule86]

66. I don't agree. I saw the Andrea Mitchell interview

Decent and honorable do not describe the person I saw in that interview.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

67. I didnt see it, dont have to. Did a tired, worn out, campaigner say something that upset you?

Can you tell me what he said that makes him dishonorable?

[JackRiddler]

73. Yes, but what did you think of Bernie?

[factfinder_77]

19. 43 pages of foreign contributions!!

amazing stuff. !

[NurseJackie]

35. Foreign contributions? I thought that was ILLEGAL! (Maybe I'm mistaken.)

[Cali_Democrat]

48. Yup. They are illegal

It's a violation of election law.

[NurseJackie]

50. So these aren't merely "guidelines" ... the SANDERS CAMPAIGN IS BREAKING THE LAW?

These are hard and fast, clear-cut LAWS, right? Enforceable laws with REAL PENALTIES, right?

It's not like some "honor system" where the campaigns are expected to "self-regulate", right?

WOW ... this IS SERIOUS!!

[imagine2015]

27. 6 pages of nothing serious or criminal. Corrections will be made as they have been for every month

This happens with all presidential campaign committees. Pretty standard stuff.

Nothing to worry about.

[KittyWampus]

75. No, it doesn't. A COMPETENT campaign has donation limits built into for each donor.

[NurseJackie]

33. Will the FEC view this as flagrantly disregarding the law? Or is this just an accidental oversight…

... that will be overlooked?

[Sheepshank]

56. They have had at least 2 previous (700 page FEC reports) infractions

Hard to imagine that it could still be considered an accidental oversight.

[NurseJackie]

57. So there could possibly be FINES and PROSECUTIONS? I'm sure the FEC doesn't ...

... take lightly their mission and responsibility to UPHOLD THE LAW.

[Sheepshank]

58. I suspect there are rules for enforcement

but its not well publicized here since BS supporters would rather not speak to this issue.

[imagine2015]

36. Hillary's campaign and corporate media are not even commenting on this.

Why do you think that is?

Answer.

Because this is minor technical stuff that can happen when you have several million small donors.

Corrections are normally submitted in response to routine FEC campaign audits.

[KittyWampus]

76. Clinton hasn't commented on Sanders pretty much the entire race.

[pugetres]

40. This is common enough...

I'm confident that they'll make the proper amendments and not have it drag out like the Clinton campaign of 2008 did.

I've heard that audits really suck. http://www.fec.gov/audits/Hillary_Clinton_for_President/AuditDivisionRecommendationMemorandum1173026.pdf

[Motown_Johnny]

59. Don't we see some version of this story every month?

Then it gets investigated and turns out to be nothing, again.

[randome]

68. Sounds like the email-gasms that are all the rage -among a small circle of DUers.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Lodestar]

60. It's comforting to know that the ONLY thing Bernie's opponents have

to throw at him are cheap shots and lies. What else do they have?

[KittyWampus]

77. No, actually. His failure as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee

during the scandal is also relevant.

[pat_k]

61. A single problem, easily remedied.

There is a single problem cited. People who gave many small donations that add up to more than limit.

"This happens all the time in campaigns, and the FEC’s rules explicitly allow 60-days from receipt of an over-the-limit contribution for campaigns to remedy the excessive portion of the contribution," Briggs wrote.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/02/26/bernie-sanders-campaign-contributions/80999298/

The problem will be remedied, just as was the same problem in previous months.

With so many donations coming in by multiple avenues, it is unsurprising. If Hillary only took small donations, she's have the same problem. Because he has so many small donations, his monthly reports are close to 20,000 pages. Clinton only need to keep track of a fraction of that.

[George II]

63. Even better solution - do it right the first time.

There was one contributor with 125 individual "small" donations (average of $26) that wound up in total being more than $1,000 over the limit. You think they might have caught it after two, three, a dozen "over the limit" contributions? I've been a campaign treasurer many times, you just don't make these types of mistakes or, if you do, after being questioned by the FEC a few times you make sure you don't make those mistakes again.

There is sophisticated software written specifically for keeping track of campaign contributions and being virtually error-proof. Why isn't a campaign that brags about raising $100+ million using that?

It's sloppy and incompetent.

[joshcryer]

65. It's not that hard.

All the overpayments can be converted to GE spending, or moved to his Senate campaign, or refunded. But for some reason they are not doing this in the reporting.

Close to four million overpaid in donations. If this were Clinton we'd be rightly outraged. Sanders needs to fix this, but Weaver is an incompetent ninkinpoop.

[ContinentalOp]

71. What's up with Jeremy Abramowitz?

Intentionally trying to bring the average donation amount down? What's the point of multiple donations on a single day like that? The guy is apparently some kind of insane phone banker too. 48,433 calls!

https://www.berniepb.com/user_leaderboard/?num_days=All-time
https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/4f2cdm/yesterday_phonebanker_jeremy_abramowitz_made_1400/?
https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/4cfbfa/legendary_phonebanker_jeremy_abramowitz_made_915/

[workinclasszero]

72. I expect all those Bernie email truthers

will jump right on this real, actual scandal and give Bernie hell about it 24/7 in 50 separate posts a day in GDP.

Oh wait this is the Bernie Underground, what was I thinking?

[Silver_Witch]

74. Get over it...no one cares

PACs can donate as much as they like - us people, the regular ones can only donate $2,700. Koch's donate MILLIONS cause they use all sorts of crazy loop holes and PACS, but normal people NOPE...

Sorry I could give a rats ass about this shit and I think your gloating over it shows more about you than Bernie.

[NCTraveler]

79. Kick. nt.

[passiveporcupine]

80. Another gift from the yellow button club

Bye!

[beedle]

81. That's what happens when you don't use lobby group bundlers ...

... who can pre-adjust any donations that might go over the limit, and provide detailed addresses information so no one questions if the donors exist or are actually America citizens -- and then bundle all the money up in a nice corruption-ribbon.

And then there's the ponzi scheme racket Bernie has going to redirect down ballot candidate donations to his personal campaign ... oh, wait, was that Bernie or Hillary?? RIght, Hillary .. sorry, my bad.