Ted Cruz’s Cringe Podcast Is About to Get Him in Serious Trouble ( newrepublic.com )

The Texas senator may have violated campaign finance law with his podcast.

Ted Cruz’s podcast may be crossing some major lines.

The Campaign Legal Center, or CLC, a nonprofit organization, filed a complaint against the Texas senator on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission. The watchdog group argues that the Verdict With Ted Cruz podcast can’t send its profits to a super PAC that supports Cruz’s campaign.

Cruz’s podcast, produced with iHeartMedia, generates hundreds of thousands of dollars, and may be a lucrative loophole in campaign finance law since he’s making the money himself. But, as The Daily Beast found, it raises a number of legal and ethical issues.

For one, campaign finance records show that at least seven lobbyists registered to represent iHeartMedia’s interests have donated tens of thousands of dollars to Cruz’s campaign since the podcast launched in 2022, The Daily Beast reports. Cruz and iHeartMedia claim that he doesn’t get paid for the podcast, volunteering his time instead, so the money is reported as “digital revenue” from ads on the podcast.

Mastengwe ,

Watch how fast nothing happens from this.

Tylerdurdon ,

Campaign finance law and serious trouble... Isn't that an oxymoron?

Hacksaw ,

It's literally the only branch of law where ignorance if the law is a valid excuse. How can anyone seriously get in trouble when "sorry I didn't know" means you're not guilty. All criminal penalties are for "knowing and willful" violations of FECA.

Go ahead and try to prove that Ted knew that by volunteering his time this would lead I heart media to donate the revenue of his talks into his own superpac, and that he knew this was a violation of campaign finance laws.

So frustrating!

p5yk0t1km1r4ge ,
@p5yk0t1km1r4ge@lemmy.world avatar

Whaaaaaat? I am shocked.

Nusm ,
@Nusm@yall.theatl.social avatar

“Oops, we forgot to launder that. Sorry, we’ll take care of it.”

Jaysyn ,
@Jaysyn@kbin.social avatar

Absolutely nothing will happen.

thefartographer ,

That's not remotely true. The bar will get lowered.

Whirling_Cloudburst ,

I'm glad I deleted my iHeart.

AdamEatsAss ,

They bought a lot of the local radio stations where I live and now they all suck. I live in Philly and used to love 104.5, one of the things they were known for was no morning show, they just played music during peoples commute. Now it's the god awful iHeartRadio woody morning show.

dunidane ,

Its crazy how the same corporation supports shit stains like Cruz also runs Cool Zone Media that has Behind the Bastards and It could Happen here both of which are way to the left for an American audience.

Zombiepirate ,
@Zombiepirate@lemmy.world avatar

I'd love for rules to start applying to Republicans.

But I won't hold my breath.

GlendatheGayWitch ,

Cruz recently won a scotus case where they decided that you can donate an unlimited amount of money to a campaign After an election is over.

The courts are going to continue allowing himself to funnel money to campaigns.

adam_y ,
@adam_y@lemmy.world avatar

But... Look at his halo!

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