Undercovered: Scam PACs That Part Credulous Partisans From Their Cash

Welcome to Undercovered: our new daily feature bringing attention to excellent reporting and stories we feel deserve a larger audience.

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CNN’s Drew Griffin undertook an investigation of dubious PACs and Super-PACs that exist solely to part voters from their cash.

One person Griffin speaks to said that her relative “actually took out a second mortgage on her house,” giving in total some $100,000 to these outfits that succeed by inundating credulous partisans with spam mail, soliciting donations that will only go into the PACs’ pockets and not to anything resembling political action or advocacy.

Griffin’s report, which aired on Anderson Cooper 360 Wednesday night, reveals a host of super-PACs that all had the same address, boasted the same nebulously conservative agenda, and were led by the same treasurer: a former Reagan administration staffer named Scott McKenzie. FEC data that shows he runs about 50 PACs, and has succeeded in pocketing more than $1 million for himself or his business.

Perhaps the oddest finding is that there’s nothing illegal about these PACs at all. FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel concedes it’s something that she would consider a fraud, but as of yet there are no laws in place to stop the PACs from simply pocketing the money.

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“Undercovered” is a new daily feature from Mediaite, bringing attention to stories that warrant more attention. If you have an idea or a tip, please email us at Undercovered@mediaite.com

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