An Alabama company violated the federal contractor campaign contribution in donations made to a super PAC involved in the state’s U.S. Senate Republican primary, according to a complaint brought by the Campaign Legal Center.
Montgomery-based Medical Place Inc. made donations to Alabama Conservatives Fund on Feb. 2 and April 6 totaling $100,000, according to campaign reports filed by the super PAC. The Campaign Legal Center said in its complaint to the Federal Election Commission that’s not permitted because Medical Place held multiple federal contracts at the time of the donations.
“Medical Place appears to have violated the statutory prohibition on federal contractor contributions in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971,” the CLC complaint said.
Dalton Dismukes, executive director of Alabama Conservatives Fund, told AL.com the donations have been refunded to Medical Place. And Alfred Seawright, president and CEO of Medical Place, is making a donation from his personal account, Dismukes said.
Medical Place did not respond to a request for comment by AL.com.
Alabama Conservatives Fund has reported raising more than $2.3 million since August 2021. The super PAC announced in October that it was supporting Katie Britt in the Senate Republican primary with statewide television ads. By law, candidates do not work with super PACs.
Medical Place is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that describes itself as a “one-stop shop for medical equipment and supplies” with more than 39 years of experience. According to the company’s website, it has held contracts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the departments of defense and state and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
At the time of the contributions, the CLC complaint said that Medical Place held contracts with Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and Defense Logistics Agency.
“The (Federal Election) Commission should seek appropriate sanctions for any and all violations, including civil penalties sufficient to deter future violations and an injunction prohibiting the respondents from any and all violations in the future, and should seek such additional remedies as are necessary and appropriate to ensure compliance with the FECA,” the CLC said in its complaint.
The primary runoff between Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks is June 21.
