Michael Toner Discusses FEC Complaint Filed Against Donald Trump

July 1, 2016

Michael E. Toner, co-chair of Wiley Rein’s Election Law & Government Ethics Practice, was quoted in an article published yesterday on CNN.com about two government watchdog groups that have filed a complaint against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

According to the article, the complaint alleges that Mr. Trump violated federal election laws by sending fundraising emails to several foreign email addresses.

Mr. Toner, a CNN delegate analyst, noted that while it’s against the law to solicit donations from foreigners, there is a “safe harbor” for campaigns.

“The key is for the campaign to not knowingly solicit contributions from foreign nationals and to exercise due diligence in reviewing solicitation lists and examining contributions when they are received to confirm that they are lawful,” Mr. Toner said. “All this being said, if a campaign inadvertently solicits contributions from a few foreign nationals and refunds any foreign national contributions that are brought to its attention, I don't believe the FEC would take any adverse action against the campaign.”

To read the full article, please click here. Mr. Toner’s quotes were also republished on Snopes.com. To read that article, click here.