FEC Asks McMahon to Explain $500K in In-Kind Contributions
The Federal Election Commission has asked former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon (R) to spell out the more than $567,000 in in-kind contributions she has made from her own pocket to help fund her bid against Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).
In her original 2009 third-quarter FEC report, McMahon listed more than a half-million dollars in in-kind contributions from herself, including expenses for political strategy and polling without naming the recipient. Her campaign manager, for example, is drawing an annual salary of $280,000 — a fact that was not visible on the reports. Her opponents, Dodd and former Rep. Rob Simmons (R), do list such salaries.
But in a letter sent on Dec. 24, McMahon’s campaign is directed to list her in-kind contributions in more detail and amend her third quarter finance report by Jan. 28. If the in-kind contribution totals more than $200 this cycle, a memo with the name and address of the vendor and the date and purpose of the purchase must be submitted.
A spokesman for McMahon’s campaign, Ed Patru, told a local newspaper that the campaign was reviewing the letter and would respond well before the FEC’s deadline.