A left-wing super PAC may be sending money donated to provide relief for victims of the Maui wildfires to Democratic candidates.
The super PAC Our Hawaii Action, led by former Hawaii state representative Kaniela Ing (D.) and community organizer Evan Weber, is raising money for its Maui Community Power Recovery Fund to support the "relief, recovery, and rebuilding" of Lahaina, Hawaii. The super PAC has admitted, however, that it may use the money for political purposes.
"The fund is to do immediate relief that’s oriented towards long-term action, which includes government accountability, includes engaging with the government to have the best possible response for the community in Lahaina. And also may include engaging in elections, to ensure that there is representation that will act on behalf of the community and not corporate and out of state interests," Weber told Honolulu Civil Beat, which first reported the story.
Last month's wildfires in Maui destroyed most of the town of Lahaina and killed nearly 100 people.
Weber said the group has "been really clear about what this is from the beginning."
A donation page for the recovery fund is hosted on the Democratic fundraising site ActBlue, and a description on the page acknowledges that donations will support "leaders and organizations."
"The Maui Community Power Recovery Fund exists to support leaders and organizations who have been leading to address the root causes of the Maui Fires devastation for years, and will continue to be there when the cameras fade away," the ActBlue donation page reads. The fund has raised at least $648,000, according to Civil Beat.
Our Hawaii Action claimed in the donation page that the fires have been "worsened by years of climate change and land and water use decisions that began during colonization and continue to this day."
Our Hawaii Action is no stranger to left-wing political activism. Last year, Our Hawaii Action raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in a failed attempt to defeat moderate Rep. Ed Case (D., Hawaii), who drew ire from progressives for initially being reluctant to support President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act.