PDC considers campaign finance violations leveled against Let's Go Washington

(The Center Square) – Members of the Public Disclosure Commission held a three-hour special hearing Thursday over charges that Let’s Go Washington, the political committee behind several initiatives on the November ballot, failed to make necessary disclosures regarding how money was spent on signature gathering efforts.

As previously reported by The Center Square, Let's Go Washington is accused of failing to obtain and provide documentation from vendors hired to gather signatures.

“Let’s Go Washington committed four categories of violations,” said Chad Standifer, senior assistant attorney general, in his opening statement.

Standifer then listed the alleged violations, which included failing to accurately and timely report expenditures, failing to timely report the expenditures of sub-vendors, failing to timely report books of account to PDC staff and failing to preserve books of account with respect to sub-vendor expenditures.

“A voter reviewing the reports would have no way of knowing what initiative a particular expenditure supported,” Standifer said.

Standifer conceded that when PDC staff went back to Let's Go Washington requesting additional information in reports, Let's Go Washington did provide the requested documents, but did so many months after the request.

Following that subpoena, Let’s Go Washington submitted 9,000 pages of documents to the PDC, but staff at the commission said Let's Go Washington should have been able to provide the information faster.

Callie Castillo, attorney for Let's Go Washington, opened by disputing the organization was under any obligation to break down how much was being spent to gather signatures for individual initiatives.

“Let’s Go Washington disclosed to the public every penny that was spent in signature gathering for the six initiatives that LGW sponsored,” said Castillo, who argued initial filings from Let's Go Washington with the PDC made exceedingly clear the organization was supporting all six initiatives.

She went on to say, “This commissions rule expressly says that a committee does not need to disclose the initiatives that it is supporting for expenditures if it has disclosed that in its statement of organization.”

“PDC staff now ask this commission to ignore that role, which was in place and LGW followed. And now they’re punishing LGW for ultimately complying with staff requests. That is both legally and factually wrong and there is no basis for this commission to find that LGW was untimely or failed to report any of its disclosures and expenditures,” Castillo said.

She added, “LGW disclosed every penny it has spent on its vendors, and the PDC has no actual documentation that any sub-vendors were used."

Kelly Palmer, Let's Go Washington's chief of staff, was called to testify.

She was asked about her involvement in requesting vendors supply information about any subcontractors they used to gather signatures.

The line of questioning was directed specifically to Allstate Petition Management, or APM, which was one of the vendors hired by Let's Go Washington to gather signatures.

Let's Go Washington reported how much money was paid to APM, but did not specify how APM may or may not have spent some of the money on subcontractors who could have gathered signatures.

Roy Ruffino, APM’s top executive, declined to provide that information when Let's Go Washington requested it.

“You never followed up with Mr. Rufino after he refused to supply you information about sub-vendors, is that right?” Standifer asked Palmer during cross examination.

“Correct,” responded Palmer.

Standifer then pushed Palmer to explain why she hadn’t pressed further.

“All I can do was ask, and I did,” Palmer replied.

In closing arguments, Standifer asked the commission to levy fines against Let's Go Washington for each alleged violation.

“It is more likely than not that LGW has failed to report sub-vendor information, and it was their responsibility to comply with this law,” he said. “Staff do recommend that a penalty be imposed of up to $10,000 per violation based on mitigating and aggravating factors discussed."

In her closing argument, Castillo said, “The charges filed against Let’s Go Washington must be dismissed in full."

She concluded, “Let’s Go Washington timely disclosed every single dollar spent to gather signatures for those six initiatives, by each firm hired to collect signatures for all six initiatives at one time."

Castillo claimed Let's Go Washington is being targeted.

“Now Let’s Go Washington is being punished because it ultimately complied with staff’s request," she said. "There is no evidence to support any alleged violation."

The hearing concluded with commission members saying they would be deliberating and may not return with a decision on Thursday but would notify the parties when to expect a decision.

After the hearing, Let's Go Washington founder Brian Heywood sent a statement to The Center Square via email.

"Let’s Go Washington has been transparent in all of its campaign reports," he said. "The PDC does not dispute that we have reported every penny we have received and spent advocating for the people’s initiatives. This issue concerns only technical details of how we reported that information."

Three initiatives backed by Let's Go Washington are on the Nov. 5 ballot. One would repeal the state's capital gains tax, one would repeal the Climate Commitment Act and end carbon auctions in the state, and one would make the state’s new long-term care services program voluntary.