US presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday (23 October) called on his rivals to disband their Super PACs after a fundraising group backing the Republican front-runner said it would shut down over claims it inappropriately coordinated with his campaign.
I disclaimed and disavowed all Super PACs. I dont want any of it. I dont want their money. I dont want anything, Trump said. I think every candidate running right for the presidency should disavow their Super PACs.
Super PACs are independent committees that can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions and individuals. They have become major players in US elections because they can spend massive sums of money promoting candidates, although they are not allowed to work formally with the campaigns.
Trump has complained repeatedly that Super PACs allow corporate entities and lobbyists to have undue influence. On Friday, he said because he is self-funding the bulk of his campaign to be the Republican Partys nominee for the November 2016 presidential election, he is not beholden to special interests.
The Make America Great Again PAC said it would shut down after the Washington Post reported that one of its employees, Mike Ciletti, contacted a Trump employee to obtain information for potential donors. That would violate rules preventing coordination between campaigns and Super PACs.
Trumps campaign also asked all of the super PACs claiming to support the real estate mogul to stop raising money and return funds to donors. The letters, sent on Wednesday, say the PACs do not have authorization to use Trumps likeness, according to his campaign.
Republican operatives close to Trump believe he will be hit with attack ads in the coming months, and they think calling on rivals to drop their Super PACs could pre-empt those attacks, a person close to Trump said. Katie Packer, a Republican consultant who is critical of Trump, disagreed. The money funding Super PACs is totally legal, disclosed dollars, she said.
