Evidence Shows Rudy Salas and His Campaign Illegally Used State Campaign Resources
Washington, D.C.— November 5, 2021— The non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) seeking an investigation into whether Rudy Salas and his campaign illegally used state campaign resources for his federal congressional bid.
Federal law prohibits candidates running for federal office from using or transferring funds or assets from a state campaign. This prohibition stems from the fact that federal law does not apply to state campaigns, and thus state campaign funds and assets are not subject to federal law's limits on contributions or reporting requirements. Federal law specifically states: “Transfers of funds or assets from a candidate’s campaign committee or account for a nonfederal election to his or her principal campaign committee or other authorized committee for a federal election are prohibited."
FACTS:
On October 18, 2021, Rudy Salas held an event to announce his federal campaign for Congress. Salas gave a speech at the podium with a campaign sign in front of it and he was also surrounded by supporters holding campaign signs.
The campaign signs appear to be the same signs used in his previous 2020 state campaign, however they were altered for his federal campaign.
“The consensus view among observers is that Salas used signs from his past campaigns for California State Assembly, trimmed a border which read ‘Law Enforcement, Teachers, and Firefighters support,’ and used the tape to cover the word ‘Assembly.’” The word “Congress” was handwritten on tape covering “Assembly.” (See photos in quoted Post article here.)
After the violation became apparent to the media, Salas first abruptly cancelled an appearance on a television news show, and when he did appear on that same show a week later he refused to answer questions about the signs. Although he was directly asked four separate times whether he used his state campaign signs or broke federal law, Salas gave long, off-topic, rambling responses to avoid answering the question.
"This is a case where the evidence of a violation is further supported by Salas' response. Candidates and elected officials should be held to high standards to ensure they do not abuse the inherent power that comes from holding office. Salas' refusal to answer simple and direct questions about his federal campaign indicate an FEC investigation is necessary, and it is disrespectful to the citizens who deserve straightforward answers from elected officials. We requested the FEC not only investigate this case, but also ensure that Salas has not used any other state campaign assets for his federal campaign," said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.
A full copy of the Salas complaint can be found by clicking here.
FACT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org/
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