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In a case seeking to unmask the murky multimillion-dollar trail of money pouring into state and national political campaigns, California’s political watchdog agency on Thursday announced the largest fine in its history for campaign-reporting violations and ordered two political action committees to pay the state $15 million for failing to properly report the source of funds spent in the 2012 election.Teams of attorneys and researchers from two state agencies spent a year tracing the money used to oppose one California ballot initiative and support another, illustrating how difficult it has become to track the flow of money in state and national political campaigns. The groups that helped funnel the money were in numerous states, including Arizona, Iowa and Virginia.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission called the two groups that will pay the $1 million fine “part of the ‘Koch Brothers Network’ of dark money political nonprofit corporations.” The reference is to billionaire brothers Charles and David H. Koch, who have given millions to conservative causes across the country.
Donors were given the choice of directly contributing to the ballot measure campaigns or giving money to an Arizona-based nonprofit that would not disclose their names, allowing them to avoid retribution from unions, according to documents released as part of the investigation.
Read more @: California Issues $15M Campaign Reporting Fine To Koch Brothers-Connected Groups « CBS Los Angeles
Campaign finance; the deep dark ****ed up side of politics.