Democratic group sues watchdog for not taking action against Trump over unofficial 2024 campaigning

A Democratic super PAC launched a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week, arguing that the agency hasn’t done a sufficient job of holding former President Donald Trump accountable when it comes to his potential bid for reelection in 2024.

American Bridge 21st Century, described as a opposition research hub for the Democratic Party and a liberal super PAC that supports Democratic candidates and opposes Republicans, filed the lawsuit against the FEC on Wednesday, claiming that Mr Trump, who has been holding rallies and giving interviews, has been doing everything but stating explicitly his intention to run for president in 2024 these past few months.

The group filed a complaint with the FEC over the same issue back in March, noting then that the one-term president was effectively skirting federal campaign finance laws, which require candidates who raise or spend more than $5,000 to register as a potential candidate, by continually repeating his intent to run for president without still ever declaring it officially.

Jessica Floyd, president of American Bridge 21st Century, said in a statement shared on Twitter on Wednesday that the super PAC’s lawsuit is aimed at preventing the former president from “continuing to flout the law with his current, active presidential campaign”.

“There’s no end to Donald Trump’s grift,” said Ms Floyd, while resharing an article written by the New York Times about the legal action the group has taken against the FEC.

Mr Trump has repeatedly hinted at and teased his intention to run for a second term but has yet to state anything official.

As far back as February, the Democratic group cited the former president’s remarks made during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where he told supporters: “We did it twice and we’ll do it again … we’re going to be doing it again a third time.”

More recently, Mr Trump signalled to New York Magazine in an interview that he plans to launch his third campaign for president, telling the news outlet that it’s currently more a question of when he’ll run, rather than if he’ll announce.

“I would say my big decision will be whether I go before or after,” he said, making an apparent reference to whether he’ll make his announcement for 2024 before or after the November midterm elections.

“Do I go before or after? That will be my big decision,” he added, later confirming that he had indeed “already made that decision” when he was probed about whether he planned to run for president.

Despite the twice-impeached president refusing to give a declarative answer about when his announcement for 2024 will come, his campaign fundraising tells a different story.

According to CNN, recent campaign finances reports show that his political organisation – Save America, who has been coordinating Mr Trump’s events to stump for midterm candidates that also serve as pro-Trump rallies – has continued to raise sums of funds since he left office.

At the end of June, Save America had raked in about $103m in cash reserves, according to a report filed Wednesday night with federal regulators, CNN reported.

The FEC has so far declined to comment on Wednesday’s lawsuit.