Mark Block

Report: Herman Cain Aide Mark Block's Groups Investigated By FBI

Ryan J. Reilly | March 30, 2012, 11:30AM

Two groups connected to former Herman Cain chief of staff Mark Block are being investigated by federal officials, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.

FBI agents have been talking to donors and other individuals connected to Prosperity USA and the Wisconsin Prosperity Network, according to the newspaper. The groups came under scrutiny late last year because they allegedly helped get Cain's presidential run off the ground by donating iPads, chartered flights and travel to Iowa to the campaign.

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Mark Block

Accused Of Campaign Finance Violations, Mark Block Named Treasurer Of Herman Cain Super PAC

Ryan J. Reilly | February 27, 2012, 2:40PM

Former Herman Cain chief-of-staff Mark Block, accused of breaking campaign finance laws by having a corporation he founded cover the Cain campaign's early expenses, has been named the treasurer of the Cain "super PAC" Cain Connections.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that Block replaced Anthony Holm as custodian of records and treasurer for Cain Connections on Friday. The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has a pending complaint with the FEC that alleges Block "personally violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by authorizing the illegal corporate contributions as president of Prosperity USA, and then by accepting the illegal contributions as treasurer of Friends of Herman Cain." Prosperity USA allegedly footed the bill for everything from iPads for Cain staffers to travel costs in the early days fo the campaign.

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Herman Cain

CHART: Herman Cain Fundraising Spiked After Sexual Harassment Allegations

Ryan J. Reilly | February 3, 2012, 3:05PM

Herman Cain announces 'suspension' of his presidential campaign, in Atlanta, Georgia. December 3, 2011 (Associated Press)

Turns out the media firestorm over charges that former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain sexually harassed women was pretty good for the Cain campaign's bottom line.

A TPM analysis of campaign finance data filed with the Federal Election Commission this week confirms the Cain campaign's assertion that their fundraising got a boost after Politico first reported that the National Restaurant Association reached two sexual harassment settlements with women who accused Cain of inappropriate behavior in the 1990s.

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Herman Cain

Former New York Post Publisher Funded Herman Cain Super PAC

Ryan J. Reilly | January 26, 2012, 10:50PM

Herman Cain announces 'suspension' of his presidential campaign, in Atlanta, Georgia. December 3, 2011 (Associated Press)

The "super PAC" formed by former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain after he dropped out of the presidential race was fueled by just one $50,000 donation from a top Republican donor who used to own and publish the New York Post, according to a just disclosed Federal Election Commission report.

Peter S. Kalikow is a New York city real estate magnate and the former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He said he "[hadn't] been [as] excited about a presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan ran in 1980" when he endorsed Cain's presidential campaign last year.

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Mark Block

Mark Block: Herman Cain Campaign's Probe Of Allegations I Broke The Law Will Wrap 'Soon'

Ryan J. Reilly | January 25, 2012, 4:34PM

It seems like ages ago now, but when current Stephen Colbert punchline Herman Cain was running for the Republican nomination his campaign had to confront a scandal that didn't involve allegations of sexual harassment.

Documents uncovered by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showed that a firm run by chain smoking Cain chief-of-staff Mark Block had helped get the former Godfather's Pizza CEO's presidential run off the ground by donating iPads, chartered flights and travel to Iowa to the campaign -- all of which would be considered illegal in-kind donations.

The charges came at a convenient time for Cain -- the media was mostly focused on the sexual harassment charges -- so they mostly managed to brush off the issue by saying they'd opened their own probe into the matter. Who's running the investigation? They wouldn't say. How long will it take? Nada.

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Herman Cain

FEC Complaint Filed Against Cain Aide Over iPads, Campaign Trips

Ryan J. Reilly | November 4, 2011, 11:37AM

Herman Cain

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Herman Cain chief of staff Mark Block over allegations his former group Prosperity USA footed the bill "for tens of thousands of dollars in expenses for such items as iPads, chartered flights and travel to Iowa and Las Vegas" to help get the Cain campaign off the ground.

The complaint, CREW said in a news release, alleges that Block "personally violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by authorizing the illegal corporate contributions as president of Prosperity USA, and then by accepting the illegal contributions as treasurer of Friends of Herman Cain." CREW says this would make Block "the first person in the history of the Act to have both given and received the same illegal contributions."

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Mark Block

Conservative Group Investigates Top Cain Aide

Ryan J. Reilly | November 4, 2011, 10:01AM

Herman Cain

The conservative Americans for Prosperity is investigating their financial dealings with Prosperity USA, the group run by Cain chief of staff Mark Block that's been accused of illegally helping get the Cain campaign off the ground, the Center for Public Integrity reports:

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Herman Cain

Ex-Herman Cain Staffer On That Other Scandal: 'Would I Trust Mark Block? Resoundingly No.'

Evan McMorris-Santoro and Ryan J. Reilly | November 3, 2011, 1:20PM

Relying on Herman Cain's Chief Of Staff Mark Block to investigate his own financial dealings is "like asking Willie Sutton to hire an independent counsel," a former Cain regional field staffer told TPM in an interview this week.

The staffer, who worked with Block and implemented his campaign strategy, said the famous smoker is not to be trusted to get to the bottom of whether, as documents appear to show, his company Prosperity USA footed the bill "for tens of thousands of dollars in expenses for such items as iPads, chartered flights and travel to Iowa and Las Vegas" to get the Cain campaign off the ground.

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Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter: 'Our Blacks Are So Much Better Than Their Blacks'

Jillian Rayfield | November 1, 2011, 1:29PM

If you were waiting for Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity to weigh in on the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations -- and what they mean for racism, sexual harassment and America -- you're in luck.

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Herman Cain

Aides' Corporation May Have Illegally Gotten Cain Campaign Off The Ground

Ryan J. Reilly | October 31, 2011, 9:30AM

Updated: October 31, 11:35AM

Long before Herman Cain chief of staff Mark Block was appearing in the most mocked campaign ad of the presidential campaign so far, he and deputy chief of staff Linda Hansen started a Wisconsin corporation that the Journal Sentinel reports illegally helped the GOP presidential candidate get his campaign off the ground.

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Herman Cain

Since 'Americans For Herman Cain' Is Illegal, Super PAC Calls Itself '9-9-9 Fund'

Ryan J. Reilly | October 24, 2011, 1:30PM

Herman Cain

A new super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain wanted to call itself "Americans for Herman Cain." One problem: that name would be illegal. Their solution: call themselves the "9-9-9 Fund" instead.

In an Oct. 18 letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), treasurer Scott Mackenzie wrote that the 9-9-9 Fund "intends to make independent expenditures, and consistent with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decision in SpeechNow v. FEC, it therefore intends to raise funds in unlimited amounts. This committee will not use those, funds to make contributions, whether direct, in-kind, or via coordinated communications, to federal candidates or committees."

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Herman Cain

Herman Cain Campaign's Payments To His Own Company Okay As Long As He Paid Fair Price

Ryan J. Reilly | October 18, 2011, 8:47AM

Herman Cain

Herman Cain's political campaign has been paying his own company out of his campaign coffers, TPM reported on Monday night:

A review of Cain's last two FEC reports shows the campaign transferring just over $100,000 in cash to Herman Cain T.H.E. New Voice, a company that promotes Cain's books and political philosophy.

The Federal Election Commission has provided "wide latitude for candidates when it comes to campaign spending," Public Citizen's Craig Holman explained: "But such spending for goods and services from a personal business cannot be less than market value, or it would constitute an illegal corporate contributions, and it cannot be above market value, or it would indicate converting campaign funds for personal use."

"Nevertheless, no serious presidential candidate will wade into these murky waters," Holman continued.

Read the whole thing here.