Sen. Knopp: Dems Should Return Misreported $500,000

From The Office of Oregon Senator Tim Knopp:

A bipartisan group of legislators urge the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO), who in 2022 misreported a $500,000 donation under a false name from the now-disgraced cryptocurrency executive Nishad Singh, to return the contribution immediately.

“The culture of corruption among top Oregon Democrat politicians is increasingly evident and incredibly disturbing,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). We have argued since the beginning of Session that the need for accountability and transparency has never been greater. We have also argued that investigations must be conducted by outside, independent counsel. They can’t escape this any longer.”

Last week, The Oregonian reported:
“The Democratic Party has not returned the $500,000 donation. But with FTX filing for bankruptcy, it is possible that the FTX bankruptcy trustee will seek to claw back any FTX-linked funds donated to political organizations.”

Jake Thacker, an Oregonian living in Portland, told NPR that he lost at least $70,000 when FTX came crashing down. Who knows how many other Oregon investors lost their money while the DPO received the largest contribution the committee had ever reported?

Over the weekend, The Oregonian Editorial Board wrote:“In her first significant decision as the acting secretary of state, Cheryl Myers slashed a proposed fine against the Democratic Party of Oregon for misreporting a $500,000 donation – the organization’s single-largest ever… Despite the seriousness of the incident, Myers cut the proposed $35,000 fine to just $15,000 and pledged to drop a criminal investigation into whether the party knowingly gave a false name unless new evidence merits it. In exchange, the Democratic Party of Oregon pledged to submit a detailed summary of training and practices adopted to prevent future mistakes; provide documents when asked to verify contributions; and face additional fines if it fails to meet these and other modest obligations.

“… Myers claimed that the settlement “serves the public interest” by giving the agency greater oversight to ensure better compliance and marks a win for transparency.

“But in reality, transparency, oversight, and the public interest appear to have little to do with this case. Rather, a deeper look at the relationships, the investigation and the kid-glove settlement raises significant questions about the ability of Democrats to hold accountable their own party. And the reduction in fine – which Gov. Tina Kotek panned in a call with the editorial ­board – is a disheartening decision that undermines efforts to rebuild trust in the agency.

“The Democratic Party of Oregon, unsurprisingly, has donated and/or received thousands of dollars to and from Democrats currently in office, including Gov. Tina Kotek and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. In fact, Rosenblum, whose office is authorized to take on campaign finance complaints and oversees criminal prosecutions, has given the Democratic Party of Oregon more than $100,000 over the years.”

It comes as no surprise that Rosenblum has no intentions of pursuing a criminal investigation into the Democrat Party.

The Oregonian Editorial Board went on:
“Oregon is one of the only states in the country without campaign contribution limits, and the only protection for Oregonians comes from an elections division that is willing to hold all political players accountable – even friends.”