Rep. Dan Bishop fined for late report of campaign contributions, including one from Louis Dejoy

As Raleigh’s News & Observer reported this morning, North Carolina’s 9th District congressman, Republican Rep. Dan Bishop, has been fined $11,634 by the Federal Elections Commission for late reporting of campaign contributions in the 2019 special election in which he defeated Democratic candidate Dan McCready.

This is from McClatchy reporter Brian Murphy’s story:

It was the second-largest administrative fine by the FEC for a North Carolina candidate since 2000, according to an FEC database. Former U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, who held the seat before Bishop, was fined $31,010 over his 48-hour reports in 2012.

The size of the fine is tied to the amount of money raised in these cases, not the seriousness of the violation.

Campaigns are required to disclose contributions of $1,000 or more received late in campaigns within 48 hours of receiving the donation. The FEC said the Bishop campaign did not submit the so-called “48-hour reports” for $110,503.60 received between Aug. 22 and Sept. 7, 2019.

The special election was on Sept. 10, 2019.

The campaign did report the donations in its post-election filing.

The FEC ruling lists more than $110,000 that the campaign received in amounts of $1,000 or more between August 26 and September 7 of 2019 that it failed to report in timely fashion. Twenty-two of the 58 contributions listed were for the maximum amount then allowed for individuals under federal law — $2,800. That list, in turn, included a number of conservative donors from around the country. One of the most notable, however, was from North Carolina: current U.S. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy of Greensboro.

Of course, the fact that Dejoy would be on such a list comes as little surprise. As NPR reported in May of 2020, shortly after Dejoy was named Postmaster General:

DeJoy has contributed more than $1.2 million to the Trump Victory Fund, and millions more to Republican Party organizations and candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records. He was also in charge of fundraising for the Republican National Convention.

Dejoy, the husband of controversial former North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos, has also been a lightning rod for controversy during his time at the Postal Service. A wide array of advocates and observers have called for his removal or resignation and just today, the Washington Post reported that several Democrats have introduced legislation that would block parts of Dejoy’s recently announced restructuring plan for the agency.

Bishop, in contrast, has been a Dejoy supporter. According to Spectrum News, the congressman issued an endorsement of Dejoy right after his selection was announced last May, saying “We need accountability. Louis Dejoy will get accountability.”