Ted Cruz Campaign Took 43 Illegal Donations. Now It’ll Refund Them

Sen. Ted Cruz’s reelection campaign announced it took 43 illegal donations and it would return tens of thousands of dollars to its donors.

On Tuesday, Ted Cruz for Senate Treasurer Cabell Hobbs sent a letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) confirming that the campaign took donations that violated federal code and that it would return them. According to the San Antonio Current, he also promised the campaign would look into contributions made by two unregistered organizations and refund them.

This letter came as the FEC last week asked Cruz’s campaign to explain tens of thousands of dollars in contributions made to his campaign that appeared to violate federal limits.

Under the law, individual donors can’t give more than $3,300 to a candidate’s campaign. The FEC showed that 45 donors from Cruz’s campaign exceeded the limit in the second quarter. The Current noted that finance experts said that the 17-list sent by the FEC was unusually large.

Cruz has also recently faced scrutiny over a controversial deal to distribute his podcast Verdict With Ted Cruz. Under the deal, the podcast distributor, iHeartMedia has made payments totalling $786,000 directly to a super PAC created to support the senator’s reelection bid. Some watchdog groups have filed at least two complaints with the FEC arguing the deal is illegal.

Federal law blocks candidates from soliciting, receiving, directing, transferring, or spending funds on behalf of Super PACs.

According to iHeartMedia, these payments are related to revenue, as Cruz is prohibited from receiving other salary than the one he receives from the Senate. However, watchdog groups have warned that Cruz technically works for iHeartMedia and that he is still receiving value from his work.

Cruz’s campaign has stated that Cruz records his podcast for free and that he volunteers his time to appear in the podcast.