Cayetano: PRP Super PAC Broke Federal Election Law
UPDATE: The former Hawaii governor has lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging the super PAC coordinated with U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono’s campaign in 2012.
Former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano is taking his fight with the Pacific Resource Partnership to the Federal Election Commission, and this time he鈥檚 dragging U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono into the mix.
Cayetano filed a complaint with the FEC last week alleging that Schatz鈥檚 chief of staff, Andy Winer, and PRP鈥檚 executive director, John White, violated federal campaign spending law related to super PACs during the 2012 election cycle.
Former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano has taken his fight with PRP to the FEC.
PF Bentley/Civil Beat
Winer, a well-known political operative, worked with PRP on its takedown of Cayetano, when the former governor ran for Honolulu mayor in an effort to kill the city鈥檚 $6 billion rail project. At the same time, Winer was an advisor to Hirono鈥檚 successful U.S. Senate campaign and a strategist for the Hawaii Democratic Party鈥檚 Coordinated Campaign.
Cayetano鈥檚 complaint states Winer鈥檚 involvement with PRP may have been inappropriate under federal law and should be investigated by the FEC.
Winer, however, says he did nothing wrong and wrote聽in an email that the complaint is “frivolous on its face, and I am confident that it will be dismissed.”
Candidates are not allowed to coordinate with super PACs but Winer worked for PRP while the group spent on mailers in support of Hirono. The PRP also spent a similar amount backing President Barack Obama.
In June 2014, Cayetano settled a defamation lawsuit against PRP, which forced the group to issue a public apology in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as well as donate $125,000 to charities of his choosing. But internal PRP 聽emails obtained by Cayetano鈥檚 attorney revealed Winer鈥檚 involvement with the super PAC.
Civil Beat first reported that PRP did not tell the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission how much it had paid Winer and several other consultants as is required by law. The agency subsequently launched an investigation and levied a fine against PRP. The commission also forwarded the case to the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney鈥檚 Office.
While Cayetano has said his attacks on PRP are not about 鈥渞evenge,鈥 his disdain for the organization is clear. He also supported former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa when she ran against Schatz for his Senate seat last year.
Read Cayetano鈥檚 complaint to the FEC here:
