Official complaints related to Bacon and Vargas • Nebraska Examiner

Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Vargas-related lobbying group, told the Washington Examiner that a Democratic donor found a way to pay candidates to keep them fresh between races.

The group’s complaint alleges that participants in the American Institute for Mainstream Political Leadership received more than what federal campaign finance law allows.

The complaint alleges that the scholarship’s “true purpose—to pay individuals before or after they run for office—is evident in its mission,” and that it is “developing and maintaining a talent pool of public servants committed to upholding democratic norms and science justified state policy”.

The Accountability and Civic Trust Fund did not return a message seeking comment this week.

The Leadership Institute told the Washington Examiner that the allegations in the FEC report were unfounded because those who received the scholarship were not declared candidates when they were paid, making it legal.

It also states that the scholarship is aimed at developing leaders. At least one previous partner in the group said the scholarship was an effort to help low-income candidates.

Some local political observers said the program appears to be a nonprofit attempt to mimic corporate jobs that supporters create for candidates and elected officials, including some in the Legislature.

Some questioned the dollar amount of the scholarship. One noted that the FEC complaint did not include the dates people received money and the dates they became declared candidates, so it is unlikely to move forward.

The letter was sent to Pilen, Arch

The letter from the delegation at the center of Meyer’s complaint was sent to Gov. Jim Pillen and Speaker of the Legislature John Arch on Sept. 18.

Some who spoke to the Examiner this week said the House Ethics Committee is unlikely to punish members for writing to the governor and speaker of the legislature, political or otherwise.

One asked how a letter endorsing Trump’s position would help Bacon in the 2nd District. Some said members could receive a letter suggesting they use campaign letterhead next time.

Nebraska awards the electoral vote to the winner of the presidential election in each electoral district. Republicans have long called for a return to the statewide winner-take-all system of awarding all five votes to the winner.

Trump urged state senators and others to support the move in Nebraska in a special session ahead of the 2024 election.

“We need a president who will represent us all,” reads the letter, titled “The Congress of the United States.” “At the presidential elections, the state must speak with a single voice.”

Asked why she filed a complaint against only one of the five signatories to the letter, all of whom are running for office this year, including both senators, Meyer said she was focusing on her congressman. And she was worried that the letter was written in the House office.

“This is his office,” she said. “That’s why I didn’t mention the other signatories.”

The letter was signed by Republican senators Deb Fisher and Pete Ricketts, as well as Bacon and fellow House members Flood and Adrian Smith.

After signing the letter, Bacon said he would like the rest of the nation to adopt Nebraska’s method of awarding electoral votes. Maine is the only other state that splits its electoral votes.

He complained that the chance for Democrats to recreate the “blue dot” they won in the 2nd District in 2008 and 2020 made him swim against the Harris ad.

Candidates push back

Both campaigns sought to discredit the allegations against them as politically motivated and baseless. Both also drew attention to competing allegations.

Vargas said he did nothing wrong by accepting the paid scholarship and said Bacon is grasping at straws. His staff declined to comment on the lawsuit against Bacon.

“Maybe a $60,000 illegal donation is a lot bigger than letterhead,” Bacon said.

Meg Mandy, a spokeswoman for the Vargas campaign, said, “Bacon will do or say anything to keep his seat in Washington.”

It is unclear whether the allegations against either candidate will prompt a formal investigation. The decision may take more than a year.

The Office of Congressional Ethics refuses to review the complaints it receives until it refers them to the Ethics Committee, a process that can take months.

In previous years, congressional leaders have broadly considered the prerogatives of Congress in communicating with state leaders on an issue before them.

Taylor Gage, a spokesman for Flood, said the Nebraska delegation followed the rules. He said members of Congress “regularly use official letterhead to communicate policy positions.”

The FEC is not discussing the application at this stage. In 2022, the commission rejected a similar claim about a stipend paid to a former and future Minnesota congressional candidate between races.