Reichert Gets $500k Illegal Corporate Gift from Local Seattle TV Stations

[MrCoffee]

Special thanks to DUer ccharles000 who first posted this in GD. I thought it should get some play here, as well.

So I'm looking at some data provided by Seattle political media buyers, and there's an extremely odd phenomenon going on with Dave Reichert's fundraising and spending. As of October 1, Reichert had around $1.2 million of cash on hand, and he's reportedly raised about $10k in 48 hour statements. Reichert's TV buy until October 20 is around $675k, leaving him with a little over a half a million dollars left. Oddly, he's reserved $725k just for October 20-26 (the largest TV buy ever in this district), and $375K for October 27 - November 4. That's $1.1 million of broadcast time bought, $600K more than he has.
How is this possible? There are no records showing he's self-funding, and he doesn't really have enough assets to do that anyway (if he lost, he'd basically be broke). What seems to be happening is that the four television stations - King TV, Kiro TV, Komo TV, and Q13 Fox - seem to be extending credit to Reichert. That is unheard of. Unlike commercial clients with good credit, political campaigns pay upfront because they are not reliable institutions. As a matter of common sense, TV stations (or any business) don't offer credit to a campaign that may not exist in three weeks.

The rationale two of the stations are offering is that Reichert's media buyer, Media Plus, is getting credit from these TV stations, not Reichert's campaign. And Media Plus has an extensive relationship with local TV stations, as is evident in their corporate website where they openly brag about influencing news content with advertising dollars:

This is genuinely unbelievable. What Reichert is doing is getting a loan from TV stations via his media buyer, and he'll pay it back with corporate PAC money should he win. It is a temporary corporate transfer of $500k into a Republican campaign done with the complicity of local television stations, stations owned by national chains and carrying content from NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox.

The FEC has made it clear that this is illegal.


http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=9255

[upi402]

1. "The FEC has made it clear that this is illegal"

I wonder, when we get the rule of law returned here in America, will this see action?

[Raster]

2. So "Mr. Law and Order" only follows the laws that benefit him.

Reichert's 15 are long fucking gone. The rethuglican high command has their hand so far up Dave's ass it's a wonder they don't poke his eyes out. Two of the WORST things that could happen to Washington: Dino "the liar" Rossi and Dave "bush* lap dog" Reichert.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

3. This is why they're running with the

story that Darcy Burner claimed to have a Harvard degree in economics
when in reality she has a computer science degree with an emphasis
in economics.

Nothing but a red herring.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. I really don't get the fascination with this loser Reichert.

It took him 20 years as KC sheriff to bring down a serial killer when he knew damn well who did it. How can the "law and order" Repukes worship that clown?