After my last report, about the high number of SPAM complaints directed at the Trump campaign, and the suspicious level of “unsubscribe” traffic to its fundraising website, I reached out to the e-mail delivery experts at Return Path on Twitter for comment. They replied:
Based on the data, we surmise that Trump is likely buying lists, and he has a high spam complaint rate
However, the sheer volume of complaints directed at the Trump campaign imply that a large volume of unsolicited e-mail may have been sent to bought lists. The Trump campaign finance disclosures do not appear to show any list vendor line items of such a magnitude. Or do they…
Yesterday, the Washington Post asked: “What is Left Hand Enterprises and why did the Trump campaign pay it $730,000?” In her report, Matea Gold links the newly formed Left Hand Enterprises to Harry Dougherty, who works as director of finance at The Lukens Company. Though Gold identifies The Lukens Company as “a direct mail fundraising firm based in Arlington, Va.,” that does not paint an accurate picture of the firm’s entire operations.
According to the company’s website:
We work with list brokers and managers across the country, including our in-house broker, Pinnacle List Company, and draw upon our experiences within numerous markets to secure the lists that are best-suited to expanding your universes and reach.
Pinnacle List Company also has a website, which indicates that the company resides in the same Arlington, VA building as The Lukens Company. Pinnacle List has data cards for e-mail lists from Jeb Bush, Right to Rise, and other Republican organizations.
As I am not a credentialed journalist with the Trump Campaign, and do not have access to campaign personnel, I cannot pose the obvious question:
Was the newly formed Left Hand Enterprises used as a front to purchase e-mail lists for the purpose of sending bulk unsolicited e-mail communications?
Hopefully, the skilled journalists at the Washington Post or other media outlets will do so.
Friday, Jun 24, 2016 · 3:05:14 PM +00:00
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LennyGrover
UPDATE: Ken Vogel followed up on Left Hand Enterprises:
That sounds plausible; so, Left Hand Enterprises LLC does not appear to be the source of bought/rented e-mails. That still leaves the question as to why the Trump campaign has been getting so many SPAM complaints and where they are getting their e-mails from.