The Justice Department is examining a Democratic political organization in Texas after a widely circulated video appeared to show one of its former organizers describing a “roundabout” method for giving people money tied to voting in the midterm elections.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed Wednesday that the DOJ is investigating Texas Majority PAC. Fox News was the first to report the inquiry.
The controversy stems from undercover footage published earlier this month by the conservative outlet Townhall. In the video, Sky MacAdams, who has since been dismissed as an organizing manager for Texas Majority PAC, discusses what he portrayed as a way to avoid violating federal election laws.
“We are paying people $25 to attend a one-hour Zoom class to learn why voting is important and why the Republicans are causing all of these bad things,” MacAdams says in the recording.
He then characterized the arrangement as “a roundabout way of paying people for their votes,” describing it as something of a legal “gray” area.
Federal law bars offering money in exchange for voting, or refraining from voting, for a particular candidate. Those convicted of violating the law can face as much as two years behind bars.
MacAdams acknowledged that distinction in the video, saying, “You can’t pay someone to vote for someone.” However, he explained that the group could instead offer $25 to people who attended a one-hour class.
“If I was a Republican, I would be pissed,” MacAdams said, calling the practice “shady as f–k.”
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Eddie Vale, a spokesman for Texas Majority PAC, disputed MacAdams’ account and told Fox News that the organization’s “relational organizing program” complies with the law.
“We hire Texans to join events where they are taught how to organize their friends and family,” Vale said. Participants urge their personal networks to vote and provide regular reminders, he added, saying they are paid for their organizing duties “just like any other job.”
Vale said relational organizing has long been a routine feature of political campaigns and insisted that participants are compensated for grassroots work, not for casting ballots. He described MacAdams as a “rogue employee,” said his account was inaccurate and confirmed that he was fired immediately.
A state campaign finance report shows that Texas Majority PAC paid $500,000 in May to Relentless, a political consulting company, for its Relational Organizing Program.
After the video became public, Rep. Pat Fallon, a Texas Republican, urged Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate the political group.
In a letter sent to Blanche last week, Fallon said Texas Majority PAC’s reported partnership with Relentless amounted to an admission that the group had violated the law and bought votes in the U.S. Senate race. “If this is true, this criminal behavior has no place in America and our elections,” he wrote.
Fallon added that federal authorities have a duty to investigate and hold accountable anyone attempting to undermine free and fair elections through voter bribery.
Texas Majority PAC and the Justice Department had not immediately responded to The Post’s requests for comment.
