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The Federal Election Commission has reportedly fined Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign and the Democratic National Committee over complaints that they violated federal law in improperly describing expenditures to law firm Perkins Coie, who then hired research firm Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on then-candidate Donald Trump.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation published a letter said to be from the FEC, in response to the foundation's complaint against Hillary for America and the DNC. The Washington Examiner first reported on the memo.
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"After conducting an investigation in this matter, the Commission found probable cause to believe that the DNC Services Corp./Democratic National Committee and Virginia McGregor in her official capacity as treasurer (the "DNC") violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5)(A) and (b)(6)(B)(v) and 11 C.F.R.§ 104.3(b)(3)(i)," the memo said. "The Commission further found probable cause to believe that Hillary for America and Elizabeth Jones in her official capacity as treasurer ("HFA") violated 52 U.S.C.§ 30104(b)(5)(A) and 11 C.F.R. § 104.3(b)(4)(i)."
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the 2022 New York State Democratic Convention on Feb. 17, 2022, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The alleged violations are of a federal statute and FEC regulations requiring the disclosures of the recipients of expenditures greater than $200, as well as the date, amount and purpose of the spending. They were accused of disguising money spent on opposition research as legal expenses.
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The memo states that on Feb. 17 of this year, the DNC and Clinton campaign signed conciliation agreements, where they did not admit wrongdoing and maintained the position that money spent on hiring Perkins Coie was meant for legal fees, but agreed not to contest the findings of probable cause in order to settle the matter.
Hillary Clinton arrives to the Generation Equality Forum in Paris on June 30, 2021. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)
As part of the agreements, the DNC agreed to pay a civil penalty of $105,000, and the Clinton campaign agreed to pay $8,000.
Asked by Fox News to confirm that the FEC sent the memo, a commission representative said, "FEC staff members are not authorized to comment on enforcement matters." The representative added that the FEC has 30 days after notifying parties to make documents public. This is consistent with the memo, which says documents "related to the case" will be made public within 30 days.
Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent who set up Orbis Business Intelligence and compiled a dossier on Donald Trump, in London. (Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)
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Fox News reached out to the DNC for comment but they did not immediately respond.
The research conducted by Fusion GPS ultimately included the notorious Trump dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele. The dossier was used to justify Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in the early stages of the FBI's Russia investigation, despite it not being verified.
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