If you haven't been following the MI Gov race the past few days, Dick DeVos (R-Amway) is trying to distance himself from a company he owns. Why?
Bad, bad, bad stuff.
In the debate this week, he claimed he was just an investor controlling 1% of the company. But as I noted yesterday, that just isn't credible. The company's own bylaws surrender virtually all control to DeVos. And yet he took steps to insulate himself from the company. Maybe he didn't know about the abuse? Maybe he didn't want to know. And he sure didn't want anybody else to. But it turns out there is a potential campaign finance scandal hidden in plain sight. Details, with screen caps, after the jump:
DemWave at Michigan Liberal calls attention to the fact that not only is DeVos friendlier with the Alterra crowd than he wants us to think, the former chair of Alterra is the current president of the DeVos family's RDV Corporation -- his name is Jerry Tubergen -- has donated the maximum amount allowed to DeVos's campaign. Which is fine, he can do that.
But curiously, when he hit HIS max, he didn't stop. He got his "homemaker" wife and three "student" daughters to max out as well. And they all listed as their address... RDV Corporation's address. Yet Jerry Tubergen listed his HOME address. Does anybody really believe that these "students" donated their own money? Does it even seem likely they SAW the checks that went out under their own names? As DemWave asks: "How many students do you know with $3,400.00 in their pocket who would willingly choose to spend it on some 50 year-old Republican running for governor?"
The donations are available on the SoS page. Here I've put them all together in one place:
This is HIGHLY suspicious. IANAL and neither is DemWave it seems, but Michigan campaign finance law does address what it sure looks like is happening here:
169.231 Contributions or expenditures controlled by another person; bundled contribution.
Sec. 31.
(1) A contribution that is controlled by, or made at the direction of, another person, including a parent organization, subsidiary, division, committee, department, branch, or local unit of a person, shall be reported by the person making the contribution and shall be regarded for purposes of contribution limits as a contribution attributable to both persons.
(2) A bundled contribution or a contribution that is delivered as part of a bundled contribution shall be regarded for purposes of contribution limits as both a contribution attributable to the bundling committee that delivered the contribution and a contribution attributable to the individual making the contribution.
I am not sure what constitutes proof here. It certainly has the appearance of impropriety, though. This is a question reporters at Michigan newspapers should be asking the DeVos campaign. Will they?
Beats me. I've sent e-mails out to several of them, and if you've got a moment, please do the same.
Detroit News
David J. Butler, Editor & Publisher:dave.butler@detnews.com
Susan Burzynski, Managing Editor: sue.burzynski@detnews.com
Don Nauss, Deputy Managing Editor/ News: don.nauss@detnews.com
Grand Rapids Press:
Mike Lloyd Editor mlloyd@grpress.com (616) 222-5506
Joe Crawford Editorial Page Editor jcrawford@grpress.com (616) 222-5483
John Barnes Metro Editor jbarnes@grpress.com (616) 222-5457
Jeff Cranson Deputy Metro Editor jcranson@grpress.com (616) 222-5476
Detroit Free Press
City/Metro desk: dfpcity@freepress.com 313-222-6600; fax: 313-222-5981
Lansing bureau: cchristoff@freepress.com 313-222-6609
More than a few make email forms available, or go to generic drop boxes. You can find them here:
WOOD-TV
WDIV-TV
WJBK-TV
WLNS-TV
MLive.com
Meanwhile, there's more from DemWave already. Stay tuned.