The Washington State Republican Party owes $5,000 in fines after Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission, a campaign watchdog for the state, found the committee to be in violation of state campaign laws in 2023 and 2024.
The fines are related to four campaign finance and political advertising violations, the PDC said in a statement Tuesday, and administrative charges were filed by PDC staff earlier this month.
PDC staff allege that the state party illegally contributed to the political action committee Let’s Go Washington by transferring $100,000 from the Republican committee’s exempt fund for unallowed activities. The PDC noted that exempt accounts can only be used for limited purposes and can not be used for direct contributions to other campaigns.
Let’s Go Washington is the sponsor behind the four initiatives included on the general election ballot this year that seek to overturn Democrat-backed programs such as the state’s cap-and-trade program, the capital gains tax and the long-term care program.
The state Republicans were also fined for depositing $106,500 in anonymous contributions on Sept. 17 and failing to disclose the source of those contributions. The state party then amended the disclosure report to reveal contributors a few days before the PDC hearing on Oct. 24.
According to the disclosure commission, political committees cannot hide sources of contributions as “anonymous” if they know the source. Campaigns and committees cannot accept more than $500, or 1% of total contributions in a year, from anonymous sources, the PDC added.
The PDC also alleged that the Republican committee failed to include sponsor identification in a 2023 campaign text, then failed to submit expenditure reports for the texts on time. The state party was 87 days late submitting the reports, which was also 80 days after the 2023 general election.
Committees and campaigns are required to include sponsor identification in such text messages.
The Republican Party has 10 days to ask the commission for a reconsideration, and up to 30 days to appeal to a Superior Court. Additionally, $1,000 of their fine can be suspended if the state Republican Party meets conditions laid out by the PDC, including transferring $100,000 from the non-exempt fund to cover the cost of the illegal expenditure from the exempt fund.
In a statement to Cascade PBS from GOP Chairman Jim Walsh, he said that the party always cooperates with the PDC and supports transparency at all levels regarding campaign finance laws, but said that recently he believed the PDC has reached some “hasty conclusions about a grab-bag of minor WAGOP projects.”
“The timing of these hasty conclusions is worth noting—right around the general election,” Walsh said. “The WAGOP will consider all options in responding to the PDC’s conclusions, as allowed by law and tradition. But there’s no need to match haste with haste. For the next few days, the WAGOP is focused on winning elections.”
Update 3:45 p.m. October 30, 2024: This article has been updated with a statement from Washington GOP Chairman Jim Walsh.