New Video and Questionable $2,800 Campaign Expense
On Friday, Republican James Marter released a new video. While much of it was recycled footage, particularly from his speech at his September 29 fundraiser in Crystal Lake, some new footage is included.
And, a narrator is heard on Marter’s video for the first time.
The video is a little over 5 minutes.
The video link was included in a Facebook meme posted on Saturday and below for reference, and be sure to click “See More” to view the entire post:
Marter’s Congressional Campaign Paid the $2,800 to Attend July Trump Event
According to the 3rd quarter Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing earlier this month, the Marter for Congress campaign committee paid for James Marter to attend the President Trump fundraising event in Wisconsin on July 12.
COMMENTARY: What Marter did, both using his campaign committee to pay for attending the President Trump event and to support President Trump financially is legal. What he did is not being questioned, but how he did it.
While a congressional candidate needs to pay local Republican groups and other candidates’ committees to attend their events locally to benefit their own congressional campaign, those kinds of expenses usually run to a couple of hundred to $500.
Additionally, a congressional campaign will need to travel to Washington on business to solely benefit their campaign, and the campaign account should fund those travel expenses.
But the $2,800 campaign committee disbursement to Trump’s reelection, knowing how cash-strapped his congressional campaign was then and is now, presents a genuine question.
If Marter wanted to attend the Trump event, shouldn’t he have paid for it through his personal resources, instead of campaign account?
If Marter had lots of cash-on-hand in his congressional campaign committee, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Seeing his cash-on-hand at the end of September was less than $5,000 and he spent more than he took in during the 3rd quarter, that is why how he paid for the Trump event is being questioned.
When a candidate calls themselves a “conservative”, an expectation for “conservative” decision making with their own money is a good indicator how they will vote to spend other people’s money.
While I’m sure this is a one-off event, it’s something worth noting to see if this is a pattern of behavior while Marter’s campaign account is woefully cash-strapped.
Why don’t you report on Jeanne spending +$600 on a makeover out of her campaign funds.
Everyone knows you desperately want Lauf so anything you report must be looked at through that prism.
Everything Jim has done has been above board and legal and you even admit as much.
But hey, can’t let that get in the way of a smarmy hit job.
It’s not questionable.
Let us all pray that Nevins finally brings an end, to the bloody reign of terror of this candidate Lauf, who causes me to involuntarily say “va-va-va-voom”!
This hit job is purely a hit job by Lauf shill Lopez.
Jim launched his campaign infusing thousands of his own money in his campaign May 30 he filed!
Others infused money in their campaigns too.
He went to the Trump event knowing that money was HIS he gave campaign to use for campaign purposes.
He networked down at the Louisiana event too for his campaign, which yielded some contributions.
If Lopez can’t be fair by including all facts this blog’s reporting integrity is degraded.
It’s sad because Cal Skinner has worked hard years covering politics and to have this bias fake news Lopez offering his jacked up discernment while leaving out many facts really does destroy the blog’s reputation.
Cal Skinner better wise up and find another reporter … that’s just discernment from a concerned reader.
Wow, I get home from church, and Jennifer Nevins is commenting here on a Sunday morning letting her fear-bred hatred shine through again.
You know there is a reason some supporters of President Trump are called “haters”, and Nevins proves it nearly every time she posts comments here.
As I said elsewhere, and I meant it, within boundaries, she and anyone is welcome to post what they post.
Last night, Jennifer Nevins posted this comment in another article with my emphasis added on the part saying she wouldn’t comment here again:
======================================================================
Jennifer on 10/26/2019 at 7:32 pm said:
What “ fear” do I exhibit, Lopez?
You sound like a progressive who calls dislike of homosexuality or other behaviors as a “ phobia”.
You are an odd little man. And this blog really does suck eggs. I won’t be wasting any more time commenting over here as it’s a total waste of my bandwidth.
=================================================================================
So much for not wasting her time commenting here on McHenry County Blog again, she did it here, and in the comments where last night’s was cut & pasted from.
She actually told the truth in her comment in the other thread this morning.
I am an “odd little man”, I’ve freely admitted being a “nobody” months ago.
The difference between Nevins and me is she won’t admit it about herself.
I’ve dealt with people like Nevins most of my life, so there is nothing she can say, especially her lies, that will prevent me from doing what I must do, and what God has called me to do here.
I shared this over 2 months ago, and Nevins, in spite of her fears and the hatred she’s let her fears turn into, is not beyond redemption.
No one is.
I’ll address the legitimate comments elsewhere.
DALA, I agree with you that on the surface, it’s not questionable.
What I said in the article, I just found the expenditure questionable, in the context his campaign is very cash-strapped, as it was in early July, and as it was reported on October 15, with data through September 30.
It shouldn’t matter how Marter is paying for this.
A candidate goes to these things to make connections and meet donors, it is worth the expense.
You make the argument he should’ve used his personal money but he could just put personal money into his own campaign account to cover this cost.
In campaigns you have to spend money to make money.
Jeanne on the other hand spent $600 of donor money on a makeover.
Ok
OK Liza Restia (12:01PM), nice try, now here’s the truth.
First, I know you were part of a Facebook conversation last week, and I see evidence of an organized comment-writing response taking place.
There are aspects that are quite amusing.
Lets me show you one.
You call this article a “hit job” on James Marter?
Frankly all I did was point out something I thought was questionable, given how cash strapped Marter’s campaign is, based on the evidence of his FEC filing earlier this month.
This article also embedded Marter’s new video that was posted on YouTube on Friday.
It also embedded his Facebook post, not just a link, but the entire post, which was asking for donations.
Overall, looks like good earned media for Marter’s campaign which is why I find your assertion this article being a “hit job” amusing.
Now, in all seriousness, let’s look at something else you said.
“Jim launched his campaign infusing thousands of his own money in his campaign May 30 he filed! Others infused money in their campaigns too. He went to the Trump event knowing that money was HIS he gave campaign to use for campaign purposes. He networked down at the Louisiana event too for his campaign, which yielded some contributions.”
It’s good that he’s networking at the Louisiana event, and hopefully he received significant funding to help his campaign.
Obviously, Louisiana, and possibly Dallas, Marter did the same and got more donations there.
It’s good to see a course correction.
Whether it’s too little, too late, or it will achieve the HUGE fundraising he must ACCOMPLISH remains to be seen, and we’ll all know in mid January when 4th quarter FEC numbers come out.
And finally the closing from this morning:
“If Lopez can’t be fair by including all facts this blog’s reporting integrity is degraded. It’s sad because Cal Skinner has worked hard years covering politics and to have this bias fake news Lopez offering his jacked up discernment while leaving out many facts really does destroy the blog’s reputation. Cal Skinner better wise up and find another reporter … that’s just discernment from a concerned reader.”
As I say all the time, opinions vary, and overall, the feedback has been very positive, and the hits to the blog, and the activity on social media, proves the blog’s reputation is not only credible, but measurable and has been enhanced.
I thank God for using me the way He does, to produce fruit that honors Him.
Even talking with some campaigns in the past couple of weeks, we are receiving positive feedback, and James Marter in a comment thanked us for posting the article about newcomers and voting history.
And speaking of Marter, he was also featured positively over his passionate feedback concerning the VA and Underwood’s HR 3525 passage in a recent article, too.
So, I know the Marter supporters would like to see McHenry County Blog do a complete “hatchet job” on Catalina Lauf, and likely other candidates, too.
I am not a “shill” for anyone, and all candidates, including Catalina Lauf, will be fully vetted between now and March.
Believe me, all the research I’m doing now on all of the candidates, there will be no doubt real vetting is taking place.
As of recently, there has not been a lot of coverage on Catalina Lauf.
You are reaching for straws on that one Jennifer Nevins.
Nevins for Congress I say.
Lopez is another one of these hypocritical god people who likely has a Catalina Fluff shrine in his basement.
Cal is really giving up the high ground by keeping a fraud like Lopez on the payroll.
Who else but Free Speech Safety Monitor Heinrich?
To carry on the new American Cultural Tradition, of punishing and getting people fired, for anything they say on the Internet.
Is there any young Latina, daughter of a fantastic immigrants’ advocate and her fine husband, Woodstock resident, but misguided in political views out there running to unseat Honorable Congresswoman and accomplished nurse Lauren Underwood of her seat in the US House of Representatives? If true, I have not seen anything about her in this glorious sunshine blog. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeeoooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww…
Lopez, who appointed you Thought Policeman?
Leave Marter alone, and start going after Underweirdo
This is a Nothing burger. James Marter can spend his campaign money on outreach events to connect with base Republican voters, who may open doors to key donations and endorsements of his campaign.
Mr. Zahm: A “Nothing burger” you say?
I guess I ought to be flattered that the famous Jon Zahm is posting about nothings at 3:12AM on a Monday morning.
There must be something to that?
But anyone’s welcome at any time, which brings up something Mr. Zahm said.
The whole flap with Jennifer Nevins began when she cast a similar complaint, on Catalina Lauf’s Facebook page about how much less Lauf charged 40 & under attendees to her fundraiser at the end of last month.
Frankly I had no problem with that, and I was just observing Marter’s cash-strapped campaign could be making better spending decisions…like hiring a professional fundraiser to help him raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to be viable in a campaign.
Especially one where there are 4 top tier candidates.
It was when Nevins’ fear-bred hatred caused her, a self-described conservative and Trumpion agreeing with another poster on the Lauf Facebook page who said nothing but platitudes about AOC was where Nevins crossed the line.
But all of it served a purpose.
And I genuinely thank everyone for doing their part.
But maybe Mr. Zahm can answer another question which admittedly is from a questionable source, but involves someone else from Aurora whom Mr. Zahm has worked with in the past — is Mr. Zahm here helping a certain octogenarian pass petitions for the 14th district?
In spite of our differences of opinions here concerning Ms. Lauf, I do count you as a reliable source, so please tell us is it true.
Speaking of presidential fundraisers, one wonders if any of the 14th district candidates are in Chicago right now to welcome President Trump.
Is Jennifer Nevins going to be there?
I know, the veto session starts this week in Springfield which will involve Jim Oberweis and Sue Rezin, but I’ll be watching in social media for pics from Chicago. It’ll make a good story, no matter where the candidates pay for their admission from.
Marter has run his campaign like a liberal Democrat—he spent more money in the last quarter than he raised.
Plus another section of his report shows his campaign is in debt over $50,000.
That is deficit spending.
Yes Marter has a right to spend his campaign funds how he wants.
BUT the personal maximum for the primary am individual can give President Trump is $2,800 which is what Marter’s campaign gave.
But one federal campaign committee giving to another federal campaign committee has a limit of $2,000 for the primary.
Marter and his team don’t seem to know the difference.
Marter’s Congressional campaign is not a leadership pac which have different contribution limits.
But again he spent more than he took in not only in the third quarter but with his accrued debt he has spent far more than he raised. That’s the definition of liberal no matter what Marter calls himself.