In the News: WA AG files campaign finance complaint against Freedom Foundation
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) today announced that it has filed a complaint in Thurston County Superior Court alleging campaign finance violations by the Freedom Foundation. Specifically, the AGO alleges that the Freedom Foundation failed to properly and timely file independent expenditure reports disclosing the value of the legal services it provided to support ballot propositions in the cities of Sequim, Chelan and Shelton, as required under the state’s campaign finance laws.
“Transparency in elections is vital to the integrity of our democracy,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “I am committed to holding all parties accountable for disclosing timely information, so voters can make fully informed decisions.”
In February 2015 the AGO received a Citizen Action Complaint from the Committee for Transparency in Elections (CFTE) alleging multiple violations of the state’s public disclosure laws by the Freedom Foundation. An AGO investigation determined the majority of the allegations did not constitute violations of state law. However, the Freedom Foundation violated the requirement to report, as an independent expenditure, the value of time the staff spent on litigation to place propositions on the ballots in the three cities. The total value of staff time has not yet been determined.