Great America Committee

Great America Committee is a political action committee (PAC) registered by Vice President of the United States Mike Pence. It is the first example of an active Vice President creating such a type of political action committee while serving in office.[1][2] Fox News noted Pence's action came only one day after reporting on the Comey memos led to the appointment of a special counsel in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[3]

Great America Committee
FormationMay 17, 2017 (2017-05-17)
FounderMike Pence (Chairman)
Founded atMcLean, Virginia
TypePolitical action committee
Registration no.FEC Committee ID #: C00640664
Legal statusActive
PurposeSupport political activities of Mike Pence
Region
United States
ServicesFundraising for Republican political candidates
Official language
English
Key people
AffiliationsMike Pence
Websitewww.greatamericacommittee.org
Filing FEC-1162693 Statement of Organization: Form 1 for Great America Committee

Politico reported on the unusual nature of a Vice President forming their own PAC, when they normally rely on their political party.[4] NBC News said it was the first time a Vice President took such an action.[2] TheStreet.com called it "unprecedented" and "awkwardly-timed".[5] Nine News observed the PAC was registered "amid the chaos" of the Trump administration.[6] Bloomberg News and Nine News pointed out that both Joe Biden and Dick Cheney did not take such an action while serving as Vice President.[6][7] Salon noted this type of PAC was used by both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz as a tactic to launch their bids for President.[8] Vanity Fair reported the action taken by Pence was an attempt to take control of his potential future during growing political talk of efforts to impeach Donald Trump.[9]

History

On May 17, 2017, Robert Mueller was appointed by the United States Department of Justice as special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. On the same day, Great America Committee was registered with the Federal Election Commission.[10][11][12] The PAC began with staffing from Pence associates Nick Ayers and Marty Obst.[4] The PAC was formed with the intention of assisting the political campaigns of Republican members of the Congress in their election and re-election efforts.[13] Money raised by the political action committee would be utilized to fund costs of travel for Mike Pence aboard Air Force Two when he makes politically oriented trips in the United States.[1] Funds from the Great America Committee would potentially be available to Pence if he wished to use them in his legal defense regarding the Russian interference in the Russia investigation.[14]

Analysis

Politico noted it was unusual for a Vice President to start a political action committee in this manner during their tenure as Vice President, and instead they normally fuse their fundraising activities with the Republican National Committee.[4] NBC News reported it was the first instance of a political action committee of this nature being formed during an active Vice President's tenure in their office.[2] Fox News reported the political action committee was created "amid White House turmoil" and "after the so-called 'Comey memo' ricocheted through Washington and effectively resulted in the naming of a special counsel to probe what President Trump once called 'this Russia thing'".[3] TheStreet.com called it an "unprecedented and awkwardly-timed political action committee".[5]

Nine News reported the political action committee formation steps were taken "amid the chaos of the Trump administration".[6] Bloomberg News and Nine News pointed out that both Joe Biden and Dick Cheney did not take such an action while serving as Vice President.[6][7] Salon noted these types of political action committees were utilized in the prior election season as a stepping off point to start a presidential campaign, and cited the campaigns of both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz as recent examples.[8] Vanity Fair reported that—amid growing talk of efforts to impeach Donald Trump—Pence "seemingly tried to take control of his political future [...] when he filed paperwork with the F.E.C. to launch his own PAC, the Great America Committee".[9]

Center for Responsible Politics executive director Sheila Krumholz told Bloomberg News: "Launching a leadership PAC sometimes signals an intent to run for higher office, which in Pence’s case, has been a topic of public interest ever since he was first nominated".[7]

See also

References
  1. Hillyard, Vaughn (May 18, 2017), Pence Creates PAC Ahead of 2018, 2020 Elections, NBC News
  2. Gomez, Luis (May 18, 2017), "President Pence? What Trump's VP is doing to fundraise for 2018 and 2020", The San Diego Union-Tribune
  3. "Pence moves to launch PAC amid White House turmoil", Fox News, May 18, 2017
  4. Nussbaum, Matthew (May 17, 2017), "Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence", Politico
  5. Stewart, Emily (May 18, 2017), "Pence Starts PAC to Fund Travel, Buy Emails as Trump Woes Grow", TheStreet.com
  6. Wood, Richard (May 18, 2017), "Pence strikes out on his own by building electoral war chest", Nine News
  7. Allison, Bill (May 17, 2017), "Pence Takes Steps to Build War Chest as White House Stumbles", Bloomberg News
  8. Tesfaye, Sophia (May 18, 2017), "Mike Pence launches his own PAC as he finds himself in the middle of another Trump scandal", Salon
  9. Tracy, Abigail (May 18, 2017), "President Pence?: The G.O.P readies itself for the suddenly real possibility", Vanity Fair
  10. Hobbs, Cabell (May 17, 2017), "Filing FEC-1162693", Statement of Organization: Form 1 for Great America Committee, Federal Election Commission
  11. Price, Greg (May 18, 2017), "President Pence? Veep starts fundraising amid Trump scandals", Newsweek
  12. Ruiz, Rebecca R. (May 17, 2017), "Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation", The New York Times
  13. Groppe, Maureen (May 18, 2017), "Can Mike Pence escape the controversies engulfing the White House?", USA Today
  14. Zeleny, Jeff; Schleifer, Theodore (June 16, 2017), "Pence might be able to use campaign funds to pay for attorney", CNN, retrieved June 20, 2017
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