Marc Elias, a Democrat and election attorney known for his involvement in the Russian collusion hoax, is now reportedly exploring new ways to support candidates through websites funded by ‘dark money' while posing as media outlets. Elias’s law firm represents a liberal political site claiming to be a genuine news outlet, although its activities closely resemble those of a Super PAC.
The Morning Mirror, run by Star Spangled Media, presents itself as a general-interest blog featuring various stories without attributed authors. However, with the start of the 2024 election cycle, the site began promoting Democratic candidates' records on abortion, and Star Spangled Media amplified these posts via digital advertising.
By operating as a for-profit media entity, Star Spangled Media can potentially bypass standard campaign finance disclosures, effectively acting as a channel for untraceable Democratic ‘dark money.'
The Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission, the state’s campaign finance regulator, is scrutinizing Star Spangled Media and The Morning Mirror for potentially being a political entity, like a PAC, which should comply with campaign finance disclosure laws. Representing Star Spangled Media, Elias’s law firm asserts that the operation is purely journalistic.
“Star Spangled Media is a for-profit media company that publishes and distributes original news stories, commentaries, and editorials,” Jonathan S. Berkon, an attorney at the Elias Group, argued in a letter to the commission. Berkon claims that the ads are funded through for-profit revenue, thus exempting Star Spangled Media from being classified under the state’s campaign finance law.
Despite suspicions that Star Spangled Media operates as a PAC disguised as a media company, the election commission states that without further information, it cannot determine if the organization breached state campaign finance laws. The commission notes that it is “impossible… to determine whether its political articles—many of which seem to be created using campaign materials—follow the same process as its non-political articles.”
The commission concludes, “Because the Commission cannot determine that the press exception applies, it cannot conclude that Star Spangled Media is not a covered person and does not intend to engage in campaign media spending.” The commission emphasizes that more details about Star Spangled Media’s operations and news presence in Arizona are needed to reach a conclusive decision on whether the press exception is applicable.
