Scoop: DNC officers asked to sign NDAs amid financial woes
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The Democratic National Committee asked its leadership team to sign non-disclosure agreements before a recent meeting about the party's finances, two people familiar with the conversations told Axios.
Why it matters: The move — a break from past practice for such officers — underscored DNC chair Ken Martin's sensitivity about the party's money woes and the persistent criticism about his leadership.
Driving the news: The DNC made the request ahead of a private meeting of senior officers late last month, the sources said.
- Martin has faced a crisis of confidence among some Democratic donors, operatives and even DNC members over his management of the party, especially given the Republican National Committee's enormous fundraising advantage with the Nov. 3 midterms in sight.
- The DNC has nearly $15 million on hand but is $18 million in debt, according to its latest campaign finance filings through the end of May.
- The RNC has $125 million on hand and no debt.
Martin has been privately and publicly defensive about the party's finances for months, according to people close to him.
- In a contentious "Pod Save America" interview this year, Martin argued that "to suggest that we're not raising money is inaccurate" and "what we're doing that's a little different ... is we're spending it."
Zoom out: A Supreme Court ruling last month has made the money gap an even bigger liability for Democrats going into the midterms.
- The high court's decision lifted limits on what parties can spend in coordination with candidates, and allowed the parties to buy advertising at the much lower rate that individual campaigns do.
- The RNC's money advantage now effectively wipes out a lot of the fundraising edge that many Democratic candidates had going into the fall.
DNC officers are high-ranking members of Martin's team, not employees who regularly sign NDAs.
- The DNC leadership meeting after the NDAs were requested took place June 25, five days before the Supreme Court's ruling.
What they're saying: The DNC declined to comment on the specific NDAs for officers.
- Chris Lowe, the DNC's national finance co-chair, said the committee's push for NDAs is "a non-issue. Having officers and attendees at board meetings be party to confidentiality agreements is consistent with standard practice in the corporate world."
- Lowe added that "all senior staff at the DNC are party to confidentiality agreements, and it would be political malpractice not to have them in place when finance and political strategy are being discussed at the highest level."
- A DNC official noted that Martin and the committee have raised more money this cycle than the DNC did in 2017 and 2018 — the last time Democrats didn't hold the White House ahead of the midterms.
Yes, but: Most campaigns and committees are raising more money than in 2018 because campaigns have become increasingly expensive since then.
