Ohio Democratic congressional candidate Aftab Pureval may be in trouble for using his local campaign account for his congressional race.
Campaign finance reports show Pureval, who currently serves as the Hamilton County clerk of courts, may have used his county campaign account for his current federal race, which would be in violation of both federal and state law, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Pureval spent $30,000 in the first six months of this year out of the clerk campaign account – even though a potential run for re-election wouldn't come for another two years when Pureval's term is up, according to a campaign finance reports filed Tuesday at the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Pureval was elected clerk in 2016.
On Feb. 5 – five days after Pureval announced he was running for Congress – the clerk's account cut a $360 check to Mark Byron for media. Byron is a Cincinnati-based photographer who has previously worked for Pureval. Byron's photography website shows he photographed Pureval's Jan. 31 congressional race kick-off. There is no payment to Byron from the congressional campaign, records show.
Sarah Topy, Pureval's congressional campaign manager, refused to comment on specific expenditures, but she told the Enquirer all spending from the clerk campaign account was related to that campaign and not the congressional race. Pureval is challenging incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot (R.) for his seat representing Ohio's 1st Congressional District.
Topy said, "There is no story here."
"All of these expenditures were appropriate and legal. Any insinuation otherwise is simply wrong," she said. "It shouldn't surprise anyone that Steve Chabot wants to try and change the subject because he doesn't want to run on his record so he's looking to stir up non-stories where there aren't any."
In a lengthy statement sent to the Enquirer, Pureval's Washington, D.C.-based counsel Brian G. Svoboda said the claims against Pureval were "unsupported by fact and law."
Drenko Pureval, the candidate's mother, made two large donations to his clerk campaign account shortly after beginning his congressional campaign, which was accompanied by spending on media, travel and consulting. On the same day, she donated $5,400 to Aftab for Ohio, her son's congressional campaign account, his federal campaign reports shows.
There is no limit for donations in county races, including to the clerk campaign account, but there is a limit of $5,400–met by Pureval's mother–for a congressional campaign.
Pureval's clerk campaign also shows a payment of $16,400 to GBA Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic polling firm. The campaign never used GBA Strategies prior, but they did do a poll on Pureval's congressional race.
Chabot spokesman Cody Rizzuto hit Pureval for what he said is a "clear" violation of campaign finance laws.
"Based on his finance reports, it couldn’t be more clear that Aftab violated campaign finance laws," Rizzuto said. "Aftab has a lot of explaining to do."
Pureval was one of the 81 candidates that former President Barack Obama endorsed this week.