According to documents filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, the Minnesota Family Council gave $346,994.05 to Minnesota for Marriage and the pro-amendment campaign in 2011 through its political fund, Minnesota Family Council Marriage Protection Fund, which it set up to pass an anti-gay marriage amendment. That’s almost twice what the Minnesota Family Council received in revenue in 2010 and the group hasn’t disclosed where that influx of money has come from.
According to forms filed with the IRS, the Minnesota Family Council only took in $219,973 in 2010 and $178,079. The group listed assets of $232,000 in 2010 as well. It’s expenses were $126,000 in 2010. The $350k that the group donated to Minnesota for Marriage is well beyond the group’s typical budget.
The campaign finance forms merely list the amounts that the Family Council passed on to its political fund and the amounts that the political fund passed on to Minnesota for Marriage.
So where did it come from? And more importantly, should the sources of this money be disclosed?
My thoughts? It's a mix of in-kind donations (staff time is expensive) and simple money-laundering for another group (like NOM, the Mormon Church, &c).
Perhaps the better question is why don't we have robust disclosure laws that mandate transparency and prevent this kind of political money laundering?
I can't believe these organizations' arrogance in just ignoring or evading the disclosure laws.
Comments are closed.