A Virginia congressional candidate whose brother was a star witness in then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial is facing allegations of campaign finance violations and misrepresenting his military record.
The campaign for Eugene Vindman, the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, referred media inquiries about the candidate’s military record to VoteVets, a political action committee (PAC) that supports progressive military veterans running for office. VoteVets has endorsed Vindman, a former Army infantry officer and Army lawyer.
Two watchdog groups — the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Civic Trust and Accountability — allege in separate complaints to the Federal Election Commission that there was illegal coordination between the campaign and the super PAC. The FEC complaints allege that the VoteVets PAC provided a service to Vindman’s campaign by handling its press inquiries.
VINDMAN WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR VIRGINIA'S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Alex Vindman, left, and Eugene Vindman stand outside the U.S. Capitol on March 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. VoteVets held a press conference with senators and representatives pushing for a Ukraine relief bill. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for VoteVets)
“The law is pretty clear that providing a service to a campaign is an in-kind contribution. Communication is something that a campaign typically pays for, not something that a super PAC makes statements for,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), told Fox News Digital.
Eugene Vindman is the brother of Colonel Alexander Vindman, a former member of the National Security Council who testified in the 2019 House Intelligence Committee investigation into Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This led to the first impeachment of Trump led by a Democrat in the House of Representatives.
Eugene Vindman is running against Republican Derrick Anderson, a former Army Green Beret.
FACT bases its complaint on a documented email exchange between a Washington Free Beacon reporter, Vindman’s campaign manager and Travis Tazelaar, the political director of VoteVets PAC.
“We've seen campaigns that have pushed the boundaries with super PACs, but this isn't just pushing the boundaries. This is an explicit in-kind contribution,” Arnold said.
VINDMAN SAYS MUSK SHOULD BE 'NERVOUS' AFTER TELEGRAM CEO ARRESTED: 'FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTISTS ARE WEIRD'
Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs for the National Security Council, returns to the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Trump in Longworth Building on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Last month, Vindman's campaign manager Jeremy Levinson said in an email to a Washington Free Beacon reporter: “I am briefing VoteVets, who will provide feedback on our behalf to your initial inquiry.”
The campaign manager added: “Any future questions on this matter or any other matter can be directed to him.”
Saying “or whatever” is problematic, Arnold said.
“The traditional timeline for an FEC investigation is long. We hope they can expedite this case given the circumstances,” Arnold said. “The Vindman campaign referred the press to VoteVets on this and other issues.”
In this case, Tazelaar responded to Free Beacon's press inquiry with a statement on Vindman's behalf.
A Vindman campaign spokesman dismissed the FEC's complaints.
WWII VETERAN GETS STANDING OVATION, 'USA' CHANTS AFTER MOVING SPEECH
“The bottom line is that we worked with the coordinated side of the VoteVets organization in responding to the Free Beacon campaign,” a spokesperson for Vindman's campaign told Fox News Digital. “The FEC rules are clear that this interaction does not violate their rules and would not constitute an in-kind contribution.”
Similarly, David Mitrani, general counsel for VoteVets, said there was no FEC violation.
Eugene Vindman is running as a Democrat to represent Virginia's 7th Congressional District. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The claims made in the Functional Government Initiative's complaint are simply false,” Mitrani told Fox News Digital in a statement. “VoteVets' activities are in full compliance with campaign finance laws.”
The statement only addressed one complaint. In a subsequent email, a VoteVets spokesperson said the statement was intended to address complaints from both the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Civic Trust and Accountability.
The six-member Federal Election Commission is made up of evenly matched Republicans and Democrats, and its decisions often end in ties.
The federal coordinated communications law, or 11 CFR 109.21(h); 11 CFR 106.1(c)(1), covers cases where campaign work “is paid for, in whole or in part, by a person other than that candidate, authorized committee, or political party committee.” The law also prohibits a third-party “vendor” from, within 120 days of an election, developing “a media strategy, including the selection or purchase of advertising space,” developing “the content of a public communication,” and “producing a public communication.”
The controversy over campaign finance laws stems from questions about Vindman's military record.
'STOLEN VALOR' LETTER DEALS WALZ WITH POLITICAL BLOW AS HE TOUTERS HIS MILITARY RECORD AT DNC AND OTHER HEADLINES
Amid the heat of his 2024 congressional campaign, it's becoming increasingly clear whether Eugene Vindman, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia, has embellished his military resume. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file)
Vindman's Republican opponent, Derrick Anderson, said Vindman “should answer all of these legitimate questions about his increased military record.”
“I respect that he served in the military, but voters deserve answers, not another DC politician hiding from them,” Anderson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “At this point, Vindman doesn't even want to debate me on television because he's unwilling to answer questions about the simple fact that he's not being truthful with voters about his resume.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Vindman has previously said he “fought for our nation in combat,” however, a 2019 Daily Mail article said Vindman “has not been in combat.” In mid-August, the Washington Free Beacon reported that when it reached out to Vindman’s campaign, campaign manager Levinson cc’d VoteVets Tazelaar and referred “all future questions” to the PAC.
In its response to Beacon, the VoteVets spokesperson reportedly said: “There was no front line in Iraq, and the Vindman family was grateful that Eugene was able to return home unharmed while so many of our other brothers and sisters in arms did not.”
