Utah Senator Mike Lee has asked a small number of donors to verify that their contributions in 2010 actually came out of their own pockets.
Allegations that Sen. Lee received so called “straw man” donations first surfaced during the investigation of former Attorney General John Swallow. In an unsealed search warrant Jeremy Johnson says that Swallow asked him to help funnel $50 thousand to the Lee campaign by giving money to friends and family who would then donate to Lee. That information led the Alliance for a Better Utah to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission.
In an email to KUER, Sen. Lee spokesman Brian Phillips writes that Lee is troubled by the news reports of the illegal contributions. He says they are working to get to the bottom of the allegations and that the campaign has always worked hard to comply with campaign finance laws.
If the campaign cannot confirm that the questionable contributions were legal, federal election law requires them to refund the money within 30 days.
