Arizona PAC with allegedly fake donor listed false address
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A super PAC that's spent more than $2.1 million boosting Kari Lake in the governor's race used a false address for its contact information on its website, according to the person who lives at the home.
Driving the news: Put Arizona First listed a home in Rainsville, Alabama, as the address where people should direct questions about the organization's privacy policy.
- The home belongs to Nick Jones, an attorney and businessman who previously served as the city's mayor.
Yes, but: Jones tells Axios Phoenix that he has no connection to Put Arizona First, has no family or friends in Arizona and doesn't know why his address was on the PAC's website.
Context: Tony Coleman, the owner of a California medical supply company that Put Arizona First listed as the sole source of the more than $2.1 million it raised through the end of June, said he didn't contribute any money to the PAC, The Arizona Republic reported on Tuesday.
- The contributions to the PAC were attributed to SPH Medical LLC in a campaign finance report, but Coleman said the company wasn't the source of that money or any other campaign donations.
The other side: Chris Marshall, Put Arizona First's chairman and treasurer, did not respond to a phone message and email from Axios Phoenix.
- However, after we attempted to contact Marshall, Put Arizona First changed the address on its website to the same UPS Store in Cave Creek that the PAC uses as its mailing address.
- Put Arizona First listed the same Cave Creek address for SPH Medical, which Coleman said wasn't connected to his company.
- We also didn't hear back from state Rep. Jake Hoffman, who owns a company the PAC paid about $2.1 million for TV and radio ads.
Our thought bubble: It's common for people in politics to hide the original source of campaign funds, but it's unclear why a campaign would want to put a false address on their website.