Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF) has initiated a review of potential campaign finance violations by the Maxwell Alejandro Frost for Congress campaign committee. The review was prompted by suspicious donation patterns observed on June 30, 2023, affecting both Frost’s federal campaign and the Tennessee state campaign of Justin Jones.
On June 30, 2023, a large number of small-dollar donations were made to both the Maxwell Frost federal campaign and the Justin Jones state campaign through ActBlue, a fundraising platform. Preliminary data analysis revealed several concerning trends, including: 1. Identical donations made to both campaigns on the same day 2. Many donations sharing identical donor names and addresses 3. A significant number of donations in small amounts, with $13.50 being particularly common 4. Donations spanning multiple states, many from outside Tennessee and Florida. Given the timing of these donations coinciding with the end of a federal reporting period, there are questions about possible attempts to inflate reported donation numbers. These patterns suggest potential "smurfing," a practice where large contributions are disguised as multiple smaller donations to circumvent contribution limits.
The review focuses on potential violations of federal campaign finance laws, including: - 52 U.S.C. § 30116: Limiting individual contributions and prohibiting circumvention of limits through third parties. - 52 U.S.C. § 30122: Prohibiting contributions made in another person's name. - 52 U.S.C. § 30104: Requiring accurate reporting of contributor information for donations over $200.
The identical nature of many small donations across state lines and between two campaigns raises red flags. If larger contributions were broken up and attributed to multiple donors, this could violate federal contribution limits. Moreover, the high volume of out-of-state donations for a state campaign is highly unusual and may indicate coordinated efforts to funnel money through multiple campaigns.
CDF has filed formal complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to request a full investigation into the potential violations by the Maxwell Alejandro Frost for Congress campaign committee. The inquiry will focus on Frost’s campaign and the role of ActBlue in processing these donations, which fall under federal jurisdiction. CDF believes a thorough investigation by the FEC is necessary to determine whether any violations have occurred.
About Citizens Defending Freedom:
Founded in 2021, Citizens Defending Freedom is a non-profit organization that strategically operates in counties across America to help citizens defend their faith and freedom, all while fighting for transparency in local government. Currently, Citizens Defending Freedom is established in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas, with plans to continue expanding across America. Click here to learn more about Citizens Defending Freedom.