A mysterious shadow super PAC that emerged late in the 2024 cycle and was suspected of working to sabotage Republicans in tight races by propping up third-party hopefuls has been hit with multiple complaints.
The Americans for Public Trust organization filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission Monday targeting the Save Western Culture super PAC and another organization, Stop China Now, Inc., which it alleged was illegally used as a straw donor to pad the pockets of the enigmatic super PAC.
“The available information supports finding reason to believe … Stop China Now, Inc. was, in fact, a straw donor that transmitted a contribution for the purpose of concealing the identity or identities of the true donor or donors,” the group wrote in its FEC complaint.
Weeks before the Nov. 5 election, the Save Western Culture PAC began mounting attacks on key Republican candidates, financing flyers, robocalls, TV spots and more taking swipes at their conservative bona fides.
In Maryland, where former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was locked in an uphill battle against Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks, the group castigated him as a sellout.
A mailer and robocall blasted Hogan for admitting that President Biden won the 2020 election and branded him “Lockdown Larry.” One of the mailers also hailed rival Libertarian candidate Mike Scott as someone “who will uphold our conservative values.”
Another TV attack ad funded by Save Western Culture branded Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) a “cuck” and “spineless simp.” The libertarian hopeful in that race, whom the PAC buoyed publicly, pleaded with it to stop running the ads.
GOP operatives fumed over Save Western Culture, which seemingly aimed to splinter conservative voters in order to prop up Democrats in tough elections.
The super PAC had registered with the FEC on Oct. 11, timing that ensured it wouldn’t be legally required to fully disclose donors ahead of the election.
Later that month, The Post had called the number on file for the committee only to discover that it was no longer in service.
At the start of December, the Save Western Culture PAC divulged its donor, which turned out to be Stop China Now Inc., which is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization, meaning that it, too, doesn’t have to disclose donor information.
Historically, some donors have pushed money to nonprofits who then funneled that “dark money” to super PACs to skirt disclosure laws. Super PACs are required to divulge their donors, but 501(c)(4) organizations are not.
In this case, Stop China Now Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on Oct. 3, and sent the Save Western Culture PAC $1.6 million to finance its operations on Oct. 17, per FEC records.
Notably, both organizations had the same address listed in their fillings.
Politico was the first to report on the Americans for Public Trust’s FEC complaint against both Stop China Now Inc. and the Save Western Culture PAC.
Last Thursday, watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) also filed a similar complaint with the FEC against the two organizations.
CREW’s complaint cited “the close temporal proximity between Stop China Now’s incorporation and its seven-figure political contribution to Save Western Culture” as evidence of “apparent violations of the law” which the watchdog claims “deprive the public of important information and should be investigated.”
The Post was unable to make contact with reps for either Stop China Now or Save Western Culture.
