A campaign finance complaint filed Tuesday shed light on a $500,000 donation from a flower shop with alleged ties to China to the super PAC supporting Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’ presidential bid.
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) alleged that an 11-month-old online store that sells artificial flowers, PassionForest, LLC, played a role in a “straw donor scheme” in its contribution to SOS America, the super PAC supporting Suarez‘ presidential bid. The complaint accused PassionForest of operating largely out of China and alleged that the business was used to conceal the identity of the donor or donors who gave SOS America the half-million dollar contribution.
“Voters have a right to know who is spending money to influence their votes and our government,” Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at CLC, said in a statement. “When someone uses an entity like PassionForest, LLC to make a major political contribution to a super PAC while hiding their identity from voters, it’s a serious violation of the laws meant to ensure transparency and prevent corruption in our elections.” (RELATED: GOP Candidate’s PAC Offers Free College Tuition In Exchange For $1 Campaign Donation)
Using LLCs or other corporate entities as straw donors has become an increasingly common mechanism in recent cycles to funnel money into elections.
Here’s the complaint CLC’s Roger @g_wieand mentioned: https://t.co/5K0AAfUuS4 https://t.co/JSztQ11lgx
— Campaign Legal Center (@CampaignLegal) July 25, 2023
PassionForest made the $500,000 donation to the SOS America PAC in October 2022, and the complaint argues the business could not have garnered enough funds on its own during the short time of operation to make the half-million dollar contribution. The CLC alleges a “foreign national” may have made the donation through the online store, as its “only known activity … was selling artificial flowers on Amazon.com.”
“It is noteworthy, moreover, that its artificial flower business appears to have shuttered around the time of the contribution,” the complaint reads. “The LLC’s Amazon page is almost entirely defunct, and its trademark application was abandoned as of November 4, 2022 — just days after the $500,000 contribution to SOS America.”
Super PACs have until Monday to report their second quarter fundraising totals with the FEC, which will provide more details about SOS America’s donors, according to Bloomberg.
“The complaint makes no accusations whatsoever against SOS America PAC or the mayor. This is nothing more than a political attack and it will be seen for what it is,” the super PAC told Bloomberg.
Suarez entered the GOP presidential field in mid-June, and has touted his “Miami Model” of cutting taxes, supporting law enforcement and bolstering the business economy as his campaign platform. The mayor is currently polling at 0%, according to the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average for a national Republican primary.
The SOS America PAC did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment, and PassionForest could not be reached. Suarez’ campaign referred the DCNF to the super PAC upon request for comment.
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