Americans for a Republican Majority (also ARMPAC) was a political action committee formed by former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and directed by Karl Gallant. On July 7, 2006 ARMPAC reached an agreement with the Federal Election Commission to pay a fine of $115,000 for various violations and to shut down operations.[1] It filed its termination papers on April 24, 2007.[2]
History
editOriginally formed by Tom DeLay (R-Texas), Jim Ellis and several of close associates, ARMPAC was created with the goal of electing a Republican majority in the United States Congress for the 2000 elections. The millions of dollars ARMPAC raised were responsible for the success of many Republican candidates, officeholders, and PACs nationwide.[3]
An FEC audit of ARMPAC's activities during the 2002 campaign cycle (January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2002) found failures to report debts, contributions, and assets, as well as a failure to properly separate federal and non-federal spending. On 28 July 2005, the FEC approved enforcement for the matter after accepting the adut.[4] Dani DeLay Ferro, DeLay's daughter and spokeswoman, said the fine and shutdown of ARMPAC were voluntary. In a statement, she said that the audit "concerns highly technical FEC reporting rules, which due to their complexity, the commission has since reformed and simplified."[1][5]
ARMPAC provided the blueprint for Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), a state-level PAC founded in Austin by Ellis and DeLay in 2001.[3]
Payments to relatives
editFrom 2001 to January 31, 2006, ARMPAC paid Christine DeLay (DeLay's wife); Dani DeLay Ferro, and Ferro's Texas firm a total of $350,304 in political consulting fees and expenses.[6]
Officers and notable members
edit| Name | Position | Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Buckham | Co-Founder | [7][8] | |
| James W. Ellis | Executive Director | [9][2] | |
| Red Cavaney | Former CEO of the American Petroleum Institute[10] | ||
| John Colyandro | Later ran Texans for a Republican Majority[11] | ||
| Tom DeLay | Founder | [2] | |
| Karl Gallant | Director | [2] | Also helped run Republican Majority Issues Committee[12] |
| Don McGahn | Attorney | [13] | Tom DeLay's former attorney.[14] Later was appointed White House Counsel under President Donald Trump.[15] |
| Warren Robold | Fundraiser | [16] | |
| Corwin Teltschik | Treasurer | [17] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b PAC Tied to DeLay Is Fined, Shutting Down[dead link], AP, July 20, 2006
- ^ a b c d DeLay's PAC closes shop Archived May 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, washingtonpost.com, May 1, 2007
- ^ a b Bickerstaff, Steve (2007). Lines in the Sand: congressional redistricting in Texas and the downfall of Tom DeLay. University of Texas Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-292-71474-8.
- ^ "ARMPAC Penalized $115,000 for Improper Financial Reporting". FEC.gov. Washington, DC: Federal Election Commission. July 20, 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ Shenon, Philip (21 July 2006). "DeLay PAC Draws a Fine and Agrees to Shut Down". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (June 7, 2006). "Retirement Account of DeLay's Wife Traced". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Six Degrees Of Jack Abramoff". NPR. January 19, 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ "The Friends of Tom DeLay". 17 April 2006. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018.
- ^ Chronicle, Austin. "The Ellis Memos". austinchronicle.com. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "Forbes profile". Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
- ^ Bickerstaff, Steve (2007-02-01). Lines in the Sand: Congressional Redistricting in Texas and the Downfall of Tom DeLay. University of Texas Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-292-71474-8.
- ^ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Lawsuit Archived 2006-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Leonhardt, David (12 August 2005). "Auditors Find Violations by DeLay's PAC". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
Donald F. McGahn II, a lawyer for Armpac, said the violations were honest mistakes and largely technicalities. The committee has since repaid the $203,000 in question, Mr. McGahn said, by transferring it from a federal-election account to an inactive soft-money account.
- ^ [1] Archived February 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Samuels, Brett (October 17, 2018). "McGahn departs as White House counsel". The Hill. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "TPJ.org". TPJ.org. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Federal Election Commission". Eqs.sdrdc.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
External links
edit- Audit Shows Misreporting by DeLay PAC Fox News, August 11, 2005.
- FEC Faults Accounting at DeLay's PAC Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, The Washington Post, August 12, 2005
- The Abramoff affair: Corruption scandal threatens Republican control of US Congress By Patrick Martin WSWS November 29, 2005
- DeLay Fails to get case tossed out R.G. Rattcliffe, The Houston Chronicle, December 6, 2005
- Earle probes DeLay tie to California donor Michael Hedges, The Houston Chronicle, December 14, 2005
- Legislators cut Abramoff connections - Missouri Republicans who accepted donations are giving the money away Ashley Henry, Missourian News, January 5, 2006
- Conciliation Agreement between FEC and ARMPAC for violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, July 19, 2006 (pdf file)