GOP Watch

Thelma Drake and the case of the Mystery PAC

Posted by Greg on Tuesday, June 05

The Center for Responsive Politics has issued a press release asking for help identifying the lawmakers behind several so-called "Mystery PACs":

What's a leadership PAC, you ask? It's a fundraising committee formed by a politician to help fund other candidates' campaigns. By making donations to members of their party, ambitious lawmakers can gain clout among their colleagues and boost their bids for leadership posts or committee chairmanships. Politicians also use leadership PACs to lay the groundwork for their own campaigns for higher office. And some use their PACs to hire additional staff-sometimes even their family members-and to travel around the country or eat in some of Washington's finest restaurants. The limits on how a politician can spend leadership PAC money are not especially strict.

The committees are not, however, required to disclose the lawmaker they're affiliated with.

Interestingly, only one member of Virginia's congressional delegation took money from these groups last year: Rep. Thelma Drake.

In fact, she took money from three of them!

Bill PAC, the Serving America's Citizens PAC, and the Palmetto Freedom PAC gave Drake a combined $2,500 in mystery money.

Now will she tell us who gave it to her?

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