Trump PAC Faces Felony Charges in Wisconsin

Ethics regulators in Wisconsin have recommended felony charges for former President Donald Trump’s Save America fundraising committee and several state Republicans. They allege the group violated state campaign finance laws by evading donation limits in support of a Trump-backed candidate.

The bipartisan Wisconsin Ethics Commission conducted an investigation and found that the Save America committee, state Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R), and Adam Steen circumvented campaign donation limits by moving at least $40,000 to Steen. Steen was endorsed by Trump as a challenger to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R), according to records released Friday.

Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws limit donations by PACs for state assembly representatives to $1,000, while local party offices can receive up to $6,000, depending on the county’s population. Steen and his campaign aides allegedly instructed donors to give money to local party offices, who would then pass the funds to Steen’s campaign or his vendors, according to the commission.

Save America donated $5,000 each to the Republican parties in Chippewa, Florence, and Langlade counties before those funds were given to “Friends of Adam Steen,” the commission claims.

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission has recommended that local district attorneys investigate and pursue unspecified felony charges. If the district attorneys do not file charges or begin an investigation within 60 days, the commission can refer its request to Attorney General Josh Kaul.

Trump endorsed Steen as an opponent to Vos in 2022, after Vos refused continuous calls by Trump to decertify President Joe Biden’s election win in 2020. Steen’s campaign aimed to unseat Vos while supporting Trump’s claims of election fraud, though he subsequently lost to Vos by 260 votes.

Trump also condemned state Republicans for continuing to support Vos—the longest-serving speaker in Wisconsin’s history—and for “working hard to cover up election corruption.” Last year, Trump called on Vos to impeach Wisconsin’s chief of elections, a decision Vos supported, though he later said it was “unlikely that it’s going to come up anytime soon.”