Allen West, the outspoken former Republican lawmaker, was always a prodigious fundraiser, drawing money from far outside his Florida district. He had $1.5 million in the bank even after mounting an unsuccessful recount challenge to his November 2102 loss at the polls.
Now, he’s transferred a half-million dollars in donated campaign funds to two charity groups: the Allen West Foundation and another entity sharing the new foundation’s post office box address.
Arizona Sen. John McCain transferred $10 million in excess funds to a library named in his honor after losing in 2008. But establishing a foundation for a one-term, backbench lawmaker is far more unusual.
The Allen West Foundation received $250,000, and another group, the American Legacy Guardians, received another $250,000, with both transfers described as “charitable donation,” according to disclosures filed Thursday.
There are rules against using campaign funds to personally enrich candidates, but the same restrictions do not apply to nonprofit groups.
Neither of the two West-linked entities appears to have any established footprint, such as a website, and it was unclear why there were two separate groups. Mr. West could not be reached for comment.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Luke Rosiak is a projects reporter on The Washington Times’ investigative team. He formerly covered lobbying and campaign finance for two watchdog groups as well as transportation for The Washington Post. Luke can be reached at lrosiak@washingtontimes.com.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Electric car writers dig deep into the people, companies, and stories driving the electric car revolution.
Traveling Ahead of the Curve: News, Views, Clues and Must-Dos for travel on a constantly changing planet
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
