University of Kentucky info on the matter

Posted on: August 6, 2018 at 14:34:11 CT

The Federal Election Campaign Act states in unambiguous terms that any contribution by a foreign national to the campaign of an American candidate for any election, state or national, is illegal. Likewise, anyone who receives, solicits, or accepts these contributions also violates the statute. Foreign national, in this case, means anybody not a US citizen that doesn’t have a green card.

What happens if someone violates the act?

They get fined, mostly. In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act, bestowing on it exclusive jurisdiction over civil enforcement of the act. In other words, they charge people money for breaking the law.

In theory, the “knowing and willing” acceptance of foreign contributions can result in jail time. To do this, the FEC needs to refer its case to the Department of Justice. This rarely happens. As of last year, in the FEC’s forty-year history, it has recommended only 22 cases to the Department of Justice. The DOJ, however, can seek out and prosecute these cases on its own.

Edited by tigerden at 14:34:36 on 08/06/18