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Elon Musk takes @America handle from X user to promote Donald Trump
(www.disruptionist.com)
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this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2024
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politics
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC
It is unbelievable to me how everyone is just walzing past the fact that a super-pac organizer attended a rally with the candidate.
My knowledge on this topic is very minimal, but is it because the SuperPAC isn't supposed to be coordinating with either party?
52 USC 30118: Contributions or expenditures by national banks, corporations, or labor organizations
Text contains those laws in effect on October 6, 2024
It's one of the few threads of campaign finance law that still exist. Things to keep in mind, in-kind contributions are still contributions. An example would be, directing your private business that is in no way affiliated with your super PAC to promote and fundraise for the candidate that you are standing on stage at a rally with. If that isn't "in connection with" then I don't know what is.
If you make the connection that Elon being there is also "in connection with" then wouldn't that now spill over with Elon acting as the head of twitter, confiscating the @America handle to give to the SuperPAC to promote Trump? One links the other?
In which case Twitter is now providing an in kind contribution?
Assuming that is a problem, then the only way it wouldn't be is if the SuperPAC itself paid the original holder of @America to sell it to them and then Twitter did the hand over at both parties request?
This is of course subject to whatever SCOTUS sock puppet Alito has his ghostly hand up the ass of, but the way it was intended to work was that super pacs can receive and spend limitlessly so long as there is no coordination with the candidate. Elon can't call trump and ask what trump would like the pac to do. So Elon being a right wing shit head is legal all day, so long as he doesn't do any of his right wing shit headery in connection with trump.
And yes, that would usually imply that if there is coordination then all contributions, even those in kind, are campaign contributions and must be regulated and disclosed. Which they aren't. And probably won't be. But if this case comes up in a few years, the right wing shit head chorus will cry alligator tears about the poor oppressed witch-hunted trump. FML.
I'm more worried about election officials getting star treatment at a candidate's rallies.