Sunday, September 10, 2023

Domestic Terrorist Ben Luna Teams Up With Fraudster Thomas Datwyler, File for Senate Run

 

Ben Luna (Credit)                                 Thomas Datwyler (Credit)


According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing, domestic terrorist Benjamin R. Luna of Alamogordo has filed to run as the Republican candidate for New Mexico's 2nd Congressional district, currently held by Democrat Gave Vasquez.



According to filings, Luna has hired Thomas Datwyler as treasurer of his Luna4US campaign. 

Principal Campaign Committee Filing (July 3, 2023)


Datwyler has a long, colorful history in politics. As recently as August 4, 2023, Thomas Datwyler has been the subject of many political finance investigations and many others. 

Most recently, on August 3, 2023, Datwiler was informed that the Mississippi Attorney General's Office opened a criminal investigation into Datwyler and the Invest in Mississippi PAC for violations of the Mississippi Election Code. The PAC, where Datwyler is listed as the treasurer, allegedly violated the Mississippi Election Code by exceeding the amount of corporate campaign contributions allowed. According to the Invest in Mississippi PAC's pre-primary finance reports, the PAC had raised $885,750, primarily from four other PACS- American Jobs and Growth PAC (Washington, DC), Defend US PAC (Washington, DC), Fund for a Working Congress PAC (Maryland) and the Save Our Constitution PAC (Ohio).  

On August 4, 2023, the Mississippi Attorney General released a statement regarding the Invest in Mississippi PAC and Thomas Datwyler,

"This morning, the Attorney General's Office alerted Invest in Mississippi PAC and Thomas Datwyler that an investigation into potential criminal violations under the Mississippi Election Code, as well as other statutes, had been opened pursuant to a complaint filed with this office on August 3, 2023."

The statement continued to state that evidence suggests potential illegal wrongdoings.

Datwyler's History of Federal Election Committee "Issues"

While the Mississippi case works through the Mississippi legal system, this is not the first time Thomas Datwyler's name has been connected to Federal Election Commission violations. 

According to this LinkedIn page, Datwyler claims he works at 9Seven Consulting, LLC in Wisconsin. In a search of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, the LLC is delinquent in its registration. 


On July 3rd, 2023, Datwyler filed a Statement of Organization with the FEC under "Dan Cox for US Congress," listing himself as treasurer and the records custodian. Cox, a man in Maryland, told Yahoo Finance that he did not file anything to declare a candidacy for public office. Cox also stated that he reported the issue to the FEC.


But Wait... There's More

In 2023 alone, according to FEC records, Datwyler paid more than $20,000 in administrative fines. According to FEC filings, the agency found that Datwyler violated the federal election campaign finance laws in his official capacity as treasurer in numerous congressional committees, including:
  • Joe Kent for Congress (R-WA). The committee was ordered to pay $3,304 in fines for failing to file notices for $29,600 in campaign contributions. (Washington State) 
  • Rodney for Congress (R-IL) was ordered to pay $3,304 in fines for failing to notify the FEC of over $55,000 in contributions. (Illinois)
  • Friends of McCormick (R-GA) PAC was ordered to pay $11,350 in fines for failing to disclose $105,500 worth of contributions to Rich McCorrmick's campaign PAC. (Georgia)
According to FEC filings, Datwyler is still listed as treasurer of all three campaigns. A 4th campaign PAC, Citizens for Josh Mandel, owes $15,080 in fines for failing to report $147,601 in PAC contributions; however, Datwyler appears to have left the PAC.

Another campaign Datwyler served as treasurer attracted the eye of the FBI, which launched an investigation into campaign finance violations by US Senator Susan Collins' (R-Maine) campaign. According to reports, while Datwlyer nor the 1820 committee was not held liable, three government contractors were prosecuted for making illegal campaign contributions. 


Domestic Terrorist Ben Luna Teams Up With Fraudster Thomas Datwyler, File for Senate Run

  Ben Luna ( Credit )                                 Thomas Datwyler ( Credit ) According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing, do...