Buttigieg Campaign Failed to Disclose Power Brokers in Release of Big Donors

This article was originally published on Common Dreams.

Among the more than 20 top fundraisers for South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg that his 2020 presidential campaign omitted from a release of his “campaign bundlers” on Friday were hedge fund executives and other power brokers with ties to Wall Street.

As Politico reported Tuesday, the list of about 100 bundlers who have raised more than $25,000 each for the mayor left out a number of donors included in an internal campaign fundraising report which the outlet had previously received.

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The omission was inadvertent according to Buttigieg spokesman Chris Meagher, who told Politico the campaign was making an updated, accurate list. The news was nonetheless condemned as “sketchy” by Jeff Hauser of the watchdog group Revolving Door Project.

“The first time I saw this list, I said, ‘There is no way this is comprehensive.’ It’s just kind of mind-blowing that they would be this dishonest,” Hauser told Politico.

Under pressure from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the Buttigieg campaign on Friday evening released a list of more than 100 bundlers who have raised more than $25,000 for the mayor’s bid for the Democratic ticket. Warren had called on Buttigieg to release the names of his top donors and open his private high-dollar fundraisers to the media.

In response to criticism from Warren and other progressives, Buttigieg said last week that his campaign “strives to be the most transparent in the field.” But Politico revealed that nearly two dozen bundlers had been left out of the campaign’s data release, which one critic derided as a “Friday night news dump” designed to satisfy the demands for transparency while leaving out key information.

The tactic “only works if there’s few threads for reporters to pull,” tweeted Adan Jentleson of Democracy Forward. “Otherwise, it reeks of deception and only whets reporters’ appetites. It seems to have backfired in this case.”

Pete's campaign dumped his bundlers last Friday night, but the Friday night news dumps only works if there's few threads for reporters to pull. Otherwise, it reeks of deception and only whets reporters' appetites. It seems to have backfired in this case. https://t.co/5g0bYtV00w

— Adam Jentleson