Two advocacy groups on Tuesday filed a formal campaign finance complaint against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over advertising revenue from his podcast sent to a political action committee supporting his 2024 reelection campaign.
The complaint, filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), alleges Mr. Cruz may have directed iHeartMedia to send more than $630,000 to the Truth and Courage PAC, exceeding the $5,000 limit that an officeholder is allowed to solicit for a Super PAC.
“There is reason to believe Cruz has violated federal campaign finance laws that prohibit federal candidates and officeholders from soliciting or directing ‘soft money’ — including money from corporations, which are categorically prohibited from contributing to candidates — in connection with his 2024 reelection efforts,” according to the FEC complaint.
The complaint, filed by the Campaign Legal Center and End Citizens United, requests the FEC to conduct a formal investigation into five payments from iHeart Media Management Services, Inc., a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, to the Truth and Courage PAC. The payments date back to March 1, 2023.
According to The Dallas Morning News, a spokeswoman for iHeart subsidiary Premiere Networks previously said the payments to the PAC are associated with ad revenue from the podcast and referred further questions to the super PAC.
There is no contact information provided on the Truth and Courage PAC website.
The complaint further claims that Mr. Cruz’s podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” is funded, marketed, and distributed by iHeartMedia. However, the terms of the agreement are not publicly available.
Mr. Cruz’s campaign office did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comments.
The two-term senator is the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Mr. Cruz said he does not receive compensation for hosting the podcast for the San Antonio-based company.
“Senator Cruz appears on ‘Verdict’ three times a week for free,” the Cruz campaign said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. “He does this to pull back the veil on the corrupt inner workings of Washington—none of which ever get fairly covered. How convenient that the mainstream media and the cogs of the Biden-Pelosi Democrat Party want this to stop.”
End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller claims “it’s clear” that the payments from iHeart should be investigated.
“No matter which way you cut it, corporate money is funneled into Senator Cruz’s super PAC in a way that flouts ethics and campaign finance laws,” Ms. Muller said in a statement. “ With over $600,000 in reported payments, it’s clear there needs to be an investigation Texans deserve a senator who is open and transparent—not one that breaks the rules to benefit himself.”
A previous ethics complaint was filed against the senator by Campaign Legal Center in 2022 when his podcast was picked up by iHeartMedia. They claimed the company violated rules prohibiting lobbyists from giving gifts to senators.
Brendan Quinn, senior communications manager at the Campaign Legal Center, told Forbes that the ethics committee informed them last February that they found Mr. Cruz had not violated federal elections law and no further action was necessary.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) talks with members of the media in Washington on March 22, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Upcoming Election
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) is challenging Mr. Cruz for his seat with hopes to flip Texas Blue in the November election.
According to Open Secrets, Mr. Allred has raised over $21 million for his campaign, and Mr. Cruz has raised more than $46 million this campaign cycle.
Mr. Cruz narrowly defeated Democrat Beto O'Rourke by a margin of 215,000 votes in the 2018 senate race.
Mr. O'Rourke, a former congressman, toured the state, raising over $70 million in his aggressive attempt to replace the Republican senator.
Texas has not had a Democratic U.S. senator since 1993, when Gov. Ann Richards (D) appointed Sen. Bob Krueger to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, who left his seat to serve as U.S. Treasury Secretary. Mr. Bentsen was the last Democrat U.S. senator elected to office in the state.
Mr. Krueger served five months of Mr. Bentsen’s term but lost in a special election to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, who served the remainder of the term and was reelected three times. She served until 2013.
Jana J. Pruet is an award-winning investigative journalist. She covers news in Texas with a focus on politics, energy, and crime. She has reported for many media outlets over the years, including Reuters, The Dallas Morning News, and TheBlaze, among others. She has a journalism degree from Southern Methodist University. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]
