Treasurer for Chris McDaniel Lt. Gov. campaign under investigation by MS attorney general

The treasurer for the lieutenant governor campaign of state Sen. Chris McDaniel is under investigation by the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, according to a news release from her office shortly after noon Friday.

The release did not mention the McDaniel campaign directly, naming Thomas Datwyler, a Wisconsin-based political consultant who serves as the campaign treasurer, and Invest in Mississippi, a political action committee Datwyler created last month.

McDaniel, Datwyler and Fitch are all Republicans. McDaniel and Fitch are on the ballot Tuesday.

Those tied to the Hosemann campaign have alleged that Datwyler broke that law. The attorney general's office did not specify which campaign finance laws, or other statutes, it is investigating.

The statement from the attorney general's office said that Datwyler and Invest in Mississippi were notified of the investigation Friday morning, after a complaint was filed Thursday.

At the time of publication, neither Datwyler nor a spokesperson for the McDaniel campaign had responded to requests for comment.

"This morning, the Attorney General’s Office alerted Invest in Mississippi PAC and Thomas Datwyler that an investigation into potential criminal violations under the Mississippi Election Code, as well as other statutes, had been opened pursuant to a complaint filed with this office on August 3, 2023," the statement said.

The statement went on to say that there is evidence to suggest potential wrongdoing, while also explaining the purpose of the separation between candidates and PACs.

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"The Legislature made every effort in Mississippi’s Election Code to balance free speech and the integrity of the election process, providing a mechanism by which a corporate entity can exercise speech without exceeding corporate contribution limits. In fact, our law generously protects free speech," the statement said. "But that does not mean there is no line protecting the people from illegitimate influence of our democratic system.

"The people of Mississippi should be able to expect that those who participate in our electoral process will not seek to exploit this careful balance and step over that line, and in this instance, there is evidence to suggest that has occurred here."

Invest in Mississippi spent more than $440,000 in less than a month of existence, more than McDaniel's entire campaign spent in a longer period of time. Most of that was spent on advertising. Ads released by the PAC thus far have attacked McDaniel's opponent incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. The PAC raised about $886,000, almost entirely from other PACs registered in other states and in Washington, D.C. The lone Mississippi donation came from a PAC called Good Hope Inc., which donated $750.

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The attorney general's statement did not say who filed the complaint, but the Clarion Ledger has obtained a letter sent to Fitch by Spencer Ritchie, an attorney for the campaign of McDaniel's opponent, fellow Republican and incumbent Hosemann.

"As you know, I represent Delbert Hosemann’s campaign. Once again, appallingly, I write to request that you investigate further violations of Mississippi law relating to State Senator Chris McDaniel’s campaign for Lt. Governor," writes Ritchie to Fitch.

Ritchie notes that, in addition to Datwyler appearing to hold roles both within the campaign and the PAC, the PAC has received almost all of its funding from out of state PACs, who themselves appear to have taken money from corporations above what would be allowed under Mississippi law. Ritchie further argues that these contributions cannot be seen as independent expenditures, which would be allowed, due to Datwyler's dual roles.

"Given Mr. Datwyler’s integral role with both Invest in Mississippi PAC and Mr. McDaniel’s campaign, under no definition of the term could the PAC’s expenditures be viewed as independent of the campaign," Ritchie writes.

After the attorney general's announcement that an investigation had been opened based on the complaint, Hosemann said Mississippi elections should not be influenced by so-called "dark money" groups.

"The dark money PAC and Chris McDaniel are synonymous," Hosemann said in a statement. "They have dumped almost $1 million in this campaign in the last week to steal the Mississippi Lt. Governor’s race and your vote. Do we really think a Washington dark money PAC cares about Mississippi citizens? Vote on August 8 to send them the answer."

McDaniel's campaign has been the subject of separate campaign finance complaints, filed by Hosemann. When speaking with reporters at the Neshoba County Fair, Fitch declined to say whether he or his campaign committee were the subject of ongoing investigations.

The Hosemann campaign has also called on Fitch, and Jones County District Attorney Brad Thompson to investigate whether McDaniel has committed voter fraud by claiming residency in a house he does not occupy, an allegation McDaniel denies.

The Republican primary for lieutenant governor will take place on Tuesday, with a potential runoff scheduled for Aug. 29.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS AG opens criminal investigation into McDaniel campaign treasurer