The Tukwila Firefighters for Democracy Political Action Committee recently settled a campaign finance lawsuit in Thurston County Superior Court.  The final settlement was signed December 8th, and it included a $19,038.25 fine ( $4,759.56 payable to the state immediately, with the rest suspended assuming they do not violate the campaign finance laws again over the next four years), plus payment of $4,300 for attorney fees and costs.  The Tukwila Firefighters for Democracy PAC had committed the following violations of Washington State’s campaign finance laws:

  • Failed to file timely and accurate reports of expenditures and contributions – totalling more than 40 reports over 5,638 days late, which were designed to hide a total of $10,565 from public scrutiny
  • Failed to accurately report debt so that the public and other donors could understand to whom and for what these debts were owed
  • Failed to legally break down expenditures, which hid the true purpose of these expenditures from the public
  • Failed to accurately identify the officers who were running this PAC.  These documents hadn’t been updated since 2012, and the listed officers had moved out of the state. Secret PAC officers are not allowed to spend political funds.
  • Illegal expenditure of PAC funds by non-officers.  All the money raised and spent by this PAC was done by nobody the public could identify.  
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson says he cares about campaign finance laws, but he has been too busy to deal with all of the political committees who break the law.

Based on a Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) complaint filed against this political committee by this author in July, and the failure of the Washington State Attorney General’s office to prosecute this case, the lawsuit “State of Washington ex. Rel Glen Morgan vs. the Tukwila Firefighters for Democracy PAC” was filed in Thurston County Superior Court on October 19th.  

The suspended portion of this fine ($14,278.69) will remain suspended contingent on the ability of the Tukwila Firefighters for Democracy PAC to go forth and sin no more.  If no further violations of RCW 42.17A occur between now and December 8, 2021, then this suspended portion of the fine will be dismissed.  The fine is paid to the Washington State general fund, where it disappears like a drop in the ocean.  Nobody really knows where it goes from there.

While the Washington State Democrats have attempted to orchestrate a fraudulent conveyance scheme among their local political committees in order to avoid legal liability for the sin of violating the state’s campaign finance laws, they can learn from their friends at the Tukwila Firefighters for Democracy PAC about how adults settle these types of lawsuits.  

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OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Additional Background articles and documents:

Tukwila Firefighters for Democracy PAC – final stipulation and agreed judgement filed in Thurston County Superior Court December 11, 2017

Original PDC complaint filed with PDC  (you can also download a copy linked here)

Jay Manning fined for Cult PAC violations, State Democratic Party pays the tab

Democratic Party attacks campaign transparency in Washington

Dem PACs dissolve after campaign finance complaints

The Scorched wasteland of Washington’s campaign finance laws

2 COMMENTS

  1. I’m glad to see an article about an entity that accepts responsibility, doesn’t make excuses, and genuinely promises to do better. Kudos to the Tukwila firefighters for that.

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