Great America Committee

{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}{{Short description|Political Action Committee of Mike Pence }} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}{{update|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox organization | name = Great America Committee | named_after = | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = | logo = Great_America_Committee_Logo.png | logo_size = | logo_alt = Logo | logo_caption = | abbreviation = | merged_into = | successor = | formation = {{start date and age|2017|05|17}} | founder = [[Mike Pence]] (Chairman) | founding_location = [[McLean, Virginia]] | extinction =  | merger = | type = [[Political action committee]] | tax_id =  | registration_id = FEC Committee ID #: C00640664 | status = Active | purpose = Support political activities of [[Mike Pence]] | headquarters = | location = | coordinates =  | region_served = United States | services = Fundraising for Republican political candidates | language = English | owner =  | secretary_general = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | board_of_directors = | key_people = {{plainlist| *[[Nick Ayers]] *[[Marty Obst]] *[[Mike Adams (lawyer)|Mike Adams]] *[[Matthew Morgan (lawyer)|Matthew Morgan]] *[[Samantha Menh]] }} | main_organ = | parent_organization = | subsidiaries = | secessions = | affiliations = [[Mike Pence]] | budget = | budget_year = | revenue = | revenue_year = | disbursements = | expenses = | expenses_year = | endowment = | num_staff = | num_staff_year = | num_volunteers = | num_volunteers_year = | slogan = | mission = | website = {{URL|https://greatamericacommittee.com/}} | remarks = | former_name = | footnotes = [http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00640664/1162693/ Filing FEC-1162693 Statement of Organization: Form 1 for Great America Committee] }} '''Great America Committee''' is a [[political action committee]] (PAC) registered by former [[Vice President of the United States]] [[Mike Pence]] on May 17, 2017. It is the first example of an active vice president creating such a type of political action committee while serving in office.<ref name=hillyard /><ref name=gomez /> [[Fox News]] noted Pence's action came only one day after reporting on the [[Comey memos]] led to the appointment of a [[special counsel]] in the investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name=foxnews />

''[[Politico]]'' reported on the unusual nature of a vice president forming their own PAC, when they normally rely on their political party.<ref name=conservativesbegin /> [[NBC News]] said it was the first time a vice president took such an action.<ref name=gomez /> ''[[TheStreet.com]]'' called it "unprecedented" and "awkwardly-timed".<ref name=thestreet /> ''[[Nine News]]'' observed the PAC was registered "amid the chaos" of the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]].<ref name=ninenews /> ''[[Bloomberg News]]'' and ''Nine News'' pointed out that both [[Joe Biden]] and [[Dick Cheney]] did not take such an action while serving as vice president.<ref name=ninenews /><ref name=bloomberg /> ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' noted this type of PAC was used by both [[Marco Rubio]] and [[Ted Cruz]] as a tactic to launch their bids for president.<ref name=salon /> ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' reported the action taken by Pence was an attempt to take control of his potential future during growing political talk of [[efforts to impeach Donald Trump]].<ref name=vanityfair />

==History== On May 17, 2017, [[Robert Mueller]] was appointed by the [[United States Department of Justice]] as a [[special prosecutor]] to investigate [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]]. On the same day, Great America Committee was registered with the [[Federal Election Commission]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00640664/1162693/|title=Filing FEC-1162693|work=Statement of Organization: Form 1 for Great America Committee|publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]]|date=May 17, 2017|first=Cabell|last=Hobbs}}</ref><ref name=presidentpence>{{citation|url=http://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-pac-fundraising-republicans-donald-trump-611530|work=[[Newsweek]]|title=President Pence? Veep starts fundraising amid Trump scandals|date=May 18, 2017|first=Greg|last=Price}}</ref><ref name=ruiz>{{citation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 17, 2017|first=Rebecca R.|last=Ruiz|title=Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation}}</ref> The PAC began with staffing from Pence associates [[Nick Ayers]] and [[Marty Obst]].<ref name=conservativesbegin>{{citation|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/17/mike-pence-president-trump-238525|work=[[Politico]]|title=Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence|date=May 17, 2017|first=Matthew|last=Nussbaum}}</ref> The PAC was formed with the intention of assisting the political campaigns of Republican members of the Congress in their election and re-election efforts.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/18/can-mike-pence-escape-controversies-engulfing-white-house/101846908/|work=[[USA Today]]|title=Can Mike Pence escape the controversies engulfing the White House?|first=Maureen|last=Groppe|date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> Money raised by the political action committee would be utilized to fund the costs of travel for Mike Pence aboard [[Air Force Two]] when he makes politically oriented trips in the United States.<ref name=hillyard>{{citation|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=May 18, 2017|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/pence-creates-pac-ahead-2018-2020-elections-n761436|title=Pence Creates PAC Ahead of 2018, 2020 Elections|first=Vaughn|last=Hillyard}}</ref> Funds from the Great America Committee would potentially be available to Pence if he wished to use them in his legal defense regarding the Russian interference in the Russia investigation.<Ref name=zeleny>{{citation|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/mike-pence-campaign-attorney/index.html|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=June 20, 2017|title=Pence might be able to use campaign funds to pay for attorney|first1=Jeff|last1=Zeleny|authorlink1=Jeff Zeleny|first2=Theodore|last2=Schleifer|date=June 16, 2017}}</ref>

As Mike Pence has not been vice president since 2021, according to Brett Kappel, an attorney specializing in campaign finance at Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, since Mike Pence is not currently a candidate for federal office, he is legally permitted to utilize his PAC to direct donor funds into his personal accounts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Everson |first=Zach |title=Mike Pence’s PAC Spent $91,000 On His Book. It Became A Bestseller. |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2023/01/09/mike-pences-pac-spent-91000-on-his-book-it-became-a-bestseller/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> However, Devin O'Malley, a spokesperson for Pence, stated that the former vice president has taken measures to prevent this, adhering to guidance from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to ensure that PAC funds are not used for personal compensation.<ref name=":0" />

==Analysis== ''[[Politico]]'' noted it was unusual for a vice president to start a political action committee in this manner during their tenure as vice president, and instead they normally fuse their fundraising activities with the [[Republican National Committee]].<ref name=conservativesbegin /> [[NBC News]] reported it was the first instance of a political action committee of this nature being formed during an active vice president's tenure in their office.<Ref name=gomez>{{citation|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-president-pence-trump-vice-president-sets-up-pac-20170518-htmlstory.html|first=Luis|last=Gomez|date=May 18, 2017|title=President Pence? What Trump's VP is doing to fundraise for 2018 and 2020|work=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]}}</ref> [[Fox News]] reported the political action committee was created "amid White House turmoil" and "after the so-called 'Comey memo' ricocheted through Washington and effectively resulted in the naming of a special counsel to probe what President Trump once called 'this Russia thing'".<ref name=foxnews>{{citation|date=May 18, 2017|work=[[Fox News]]|title=Pence moves to launch PAC amid White House turmoil|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pence-moves-to-launch-pac-amid-white-house-turmoil}}</ref> ''[[TheStreet.com]]'' called it an "unprecedented and awkwardly-timed political action committee".<ref name=thestreet>{{citation|work=[[TheStreet.com]]|url=https://www.thestreet.com/story/14141365/1/pence-starts-pac-to-fund-travel-buy-emails-as-trump-woes-grow.html|title=Pence Starts PAC to Fund Travel, Buy Emails as Trump Woes Grow|first=Emily|last=Stewart|date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

''[[Nine News]]'' reported the political action committee formation steps were taken "amid the chaos of the Trump administration".<ref name=ninenews /> ''[[Bloomberg News]]'' and ''Nine News'' pointed out that both [[Joe Biden]] and [[Dick Cheney]] did not take such an action while serving as vice president.<Ref name=ninenews>{{citation|work=[[Nine News]]|url=http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/05/18/14/22/pence-sets-up-fundraiser-amid-trump-chaos|title=Pence strikes out on his own by building electoral war chest|date=May 18, 2017|first=Richard|last=Wood}}</ref><ref name=bloomberg>{{citation|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-17/pence-takes-steps-to-build-war-chest-as-white-house-stumbles|date=May 17, 2017|title=Pence Takes Steps to Build War Chest as White House Stumbles|first=Bill|last=Allison}}</ref> ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' noted these types of political action committees were utilized in the prior election season as a stepping off point to start a presidential campaign, and cited the campaigns of both [[Marco Rubio]] and [[Ted Cruz]] as recent examples.<ref name=salon>{{citation|work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|url=http://www.salon.com/2017/05/18/mike-pence-launches-his-own-pac-as-he-finds-himself-in-the-middle-of-another-trump-scandal/|title=Mike Pence launches his own PAC as he finds himself in the middle of another Trump scandal|last=Tesfaye|first=Sophia|date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' reported that—amid growing talk of [[efforts to impeach Donald Trump]]—Pence "seemingly tried to take control of his political future [...] when he filed paperwork with the F.E.C. to launch his own PAC, the Great America Committee".<ref name=vanityfair>{{citation|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/president-mike-pence-donald-trump-impeachment|title=President Pence?: The G.O.P readies itself for the suddenly real possibility|first=Abigail|last=Tracy|date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

Center for Responsible Politics executive director Sheila Krumholz told ''Bloomberg News'': "Launching a leadership PAC sometimes signals an intent to run for higher office, which in Pence’s case, has been a topic of public interest ever since he was first nominated".<ref name=bloomberg />

==See also== {{Portal|Politics|United States}} *[[2018 United States elections]] *[[2020 United States elections]]

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{Official website|https://donaldtrumpcampaign.org}} *[http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00640664/1162693/ Statement of Organization], [[Federal Election Commission]] (May 17, 2017).

[[Category:United States political action committees]] [[Category:May 2017 in the United States]] [[Category:Conservative political advocacy groups in the United States]] [[Category:Political organizations established in 2017]] [[Category:2017 establishments in the United States]] [[Category:Mike Pence]] [[Category:Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign]]