Braun
The (Columbus) Republic
Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, who wants to become Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, got some good news and some bad news ahead of the May 7 Republican primary.
The good news: the campaign finance violation case that for years has dogged the Jasper native, businessman and former Indiana lawmaker was closed. The bad news: This is now an issue after Braun’s campaign went to extraordinary lengths to make that federal case go away.
The Federal Election Commission voted 6-0 this week to fine Braun’s campaign $159,000 for campaign finance violations. Forbes said this was the second-largest fine ever imposed on a US Senate campaign.
That is a jaw-dropping turn of events and a “holy moley” moment for good-government Indiana Republicans. Even in the openly corrupt world of political campaign finance, this is jarring. Further, the record shows the FEC rejected prior settlement attempts by Braun’s campaign and some commissioners believed tougher action may have been warranted.
This should be the elephant in the room for Braun and for the five other Republican candidates who are seeking the party’s nomination to run for governor: former Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former Indiana Economic Development Corp. leader Eric Doden, former Attorney General Curtis Hill and conservative activist Jamie Reitenour.
“The agreement said Mike Braun for Indiana failed to correctly disclose loan balances, terms, dates, repayment amounts, and other information for transactions totaling $11.5 million involving three bank loans, 13 lines of credit, and 13 candidate loans,” Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
The settlement agreement says Braun’s campaign finance committee “contends that its former treasurer, Travis Kabrick, was responsible for these reporting errors and that he had access to all relevant information and documents from the Committee to properly report these loans. The Committee further contends that its former Treasurer publicly disclosed information regarding the bank loans, which were legal and proper, but the Treasurer made the errors regarding how they were reported on the Committee’s campaign finance reports. The Committee further contends that the reporting errors were technical in nature.”
The treasurer may have been to blame, but the buck stopped with Braun. And at least some members of the FEC believed tougher action against the Braun campaign was warranted.
In its public disclosure accepting the settlement and closing its case against Braun’s PAC, the FEC noted, “The Commission failed by a vote of 3-3 to: Dismiss as an exercise of prosecutorial discretion allegations that Mike Braun for Indiana and Thomas Datwyler in his official capacity as treasurer failed to accurately report receipts and disbursements.”
The FEC deadlocked over whether to take potential prosecution off the table.
Small wonder then that the Braun campaign was willing to write a $159,000 check to make this go away.
Braun has never adequately owned up to what happened in this case, and he bears the consequences as he is asking Republican primary voters for a position of public trust. Whether his handling of this matter demonstrates he is worthy of that trust is the $11.5 million question.
The (Columbus) Republic is a sister newspaper to the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
