Americans for a Republican Majority
{{Short description|Republican political action committee}}
Americans for a Republican Majority (also ARMPAC) was a political action committee formed by former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and directed by Karl Gallant. On July 7, 2006, ARMPAC reached an agreement with the Federal Election Commission to pay a fine of $115,000 for various violations and to shut down operations.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072000843.html PAC Tied to DeLay Is Fined, Shutting Down]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, AP, July 20, 2006 It filed its termination papers on April 24, 2007.[http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/05/delays_pac_closes_shop.html DeLay's PAC closes shop] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523075823/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/05/delays_pac_closes_shop.html|date=May 23, 2011}}, washingtonpost.com, May 1, 2007
History
Originally formed by Tom DeLay (R-Texas), Jim Ellis and several of close associates, ARMPAC was created with the goal of electing a Republican majority in the United States Congress for the 2000 elections. The millions of dollars ARMPAC raised were responsible for the success of many Republican candidates, officeholders, and PACs nationwide.{{cite book|last=Bickerstaff|first=Steve|title=Lines in the Sand: congressional redistricting in Texas and the downfall of Tom DeLay|url=https://archive.org/details/linessandcongres00bick|url-access=limited|publisher=University of Texas Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-292-71474-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/linessandcongres00bick/page/n59 47]}}
An FEC audit of ARMPAC's activities during the 2002 campaign cycle (January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2002) found failures to report debts, contributions, and assets, as well as a failure to properly separate federal and non-federal spending. On 28 July 2005, the FEC approved enforcement for the matter after accepting the audit.{{cite news |title=ARMPAC Penalized $115,000 for Improper Financial Reporting |url=https://www.fec.gov/updates/armpac-penalized-115000-for-improper-financial-reporting/ |access-date=10 May 2019 |work=FEC.gov |publisher=Federal Election Commission |date=July 20, 2006 |location=Washington, DC |language=en}} Dani DeLay Ferro, DeLay's daughter and spokeswoman, said the fine and shutdown of ARMPAC were voluntary. In a statement, she said that the audit "concerns highly technical FEC reporting rules, which due to their complexity, the commission has since reformed and simplified".{{cite news |last1=Shenon |first1=Philip |title=DeLay PAC Draws a Fine and Agrees to Shut Down |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/washington/delay-pac-draws-a-fine-and-agrees-to-shut-down.html |access-date=10 May 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=21 July 2006}}
ARMPAC provided the blueprint for Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), a state-level PAC founded in Austin by Ellis and DeLay in 2001.
Payments to relatives
From 2001 to January 31, 2006, ARMPAC paid Christine DeLay (DeLay's wife); Dani DeLay Ferro, and Ferro's Texas firm a total of $350,304 in political consulting fees and expenses.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601320_2.html |title=Retirement Account of DeLay's Wife Traced |work=The Washington Post |date= June 7, 2006|access-date=2010-06-20 | first=R. Jeffrey | last=Smith}}
Officers and notable members
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.foxnews.com/story/audit-shows-misreporting-by-delay-pac Audit Shows Misreporting by DeLay PAC] Fox News, August 11, 2005.
- [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081101607.html FEC Faults Accounting at DeLay's PAC] Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, The Washington Post, August 12, 2005
- [http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/abr1-n29.shtml The Abramoff affair: Corruption scandal threatens Republican control of US Congress] By Patrick Martin WSWS November 29, 2005
- [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3505077.html DeLay Fails to get case tossed out] R.G. Rattcliffe, The Houston Chronicle, December 6, 2005
- [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3523469.html Earle probes DeLay tie to California donor] Michael Hedges, The Houston Chronicle, December 14, 2005
- [https://archive.today/20060524024221/http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=17745 Legislators cut Abramoff connections - Missouri Republicans who accepted donations are giving the money away] Ashley Henry, Missourian News, January 5, 2006
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20061123231121/http://tray.com/docs/FEC_Decision_July_19_2006.pdf Conciliation Agreement between FEC and ARMPAC for violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act], July 19, 2006 (pdf file)
{{Tom DeLay}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Americans For A Republican Majority}}
Category:Republican Party (United States) organizations
Category:United States political action committees
Category:Organizations disestablished in 2007