Trump campaign might have broken election law in asking for foreign money

NEW YORK, June 30 (UPI) -- The Donald Trump campaign has been slapped with an Federal Election Commission complaint by nonprofit, nonpartisan group The Campaign Legal Center, for allegedly seeking money from foreign politicians to fund his presidential campaign.

Trump's campaign allegedly sent Icelandic, Scottish, Australian and British politicians fundraising emails asking for donations after the "Brexit" vote took place and as Trump promoted his golf course in Scotland, the complaint contends.

The actions are violations of federal election laws.

"Donald Trump should have known better," said Paul S Ryan, deputy executive director of Campaign Legal Center. "It is a no-brainer that it violates the law to send fundraising emails to members of a foreign government on their official foreign government email accounts, and yet, that's exactly what Trump has done repeatedly."

The Federal Election Campaign Act makes illegal "any foreign national from contributing, donating, or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, or local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly. It is also unlawful to help foreign nationals violate that ban or to solicit, receive or accept contributions or donations from them."

The Trump campaign has "knowingly and illegally" sought donations from the foreign politicians, the complaint alleges and included multiple media reports of politicians receiving fundraising emails in the complaint.

Several politicians took to social media about the emails, including former Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell who has regularly criticized Trump and warned against Britain leaving the EU.

"Aside from fact I am [Canadian], clearly they don't follow me on Twitter!" she tweeted.

"This whole matter is very perplexing. The letter left me speechless," email recipient Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who heads Iceland's Left Green party, told an Icelandic magazine.