Federal Election Commission fines Kris Kobach for 2019 We Build The Wall contribution

The Federal Election Commission fined Kansas Attorney General-elect Kris Kobach for accepting a contribution from the embattled group We Build The Wall during his 2019 bid for U.S. Senate, according to a copy of an agreement between Kobach and the agency.

Kobach has defended his association with We Build The Wall, which was purportedly formed to construct segments of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border but instead has landed Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Donald Trump, in legal hot water.

The agreement was agreed to on Nov. 16, just days after Kobach won election as attorney general, defeating Democrat Chris Mann in the general election. It was made public earlier this month.

More:Kris Kobach says he is working to shutter We Build The Wall group amid new Steve Bannon charges

Kobach isn't believed to have broken the law when he served as the We Build The Wall's legal counsel and worked on its board of directors. He resigned from the board earlier this year after telling reporters he was remaining involved with the group only to help conduct an "orderly shutdown" of its activities.

Bannon is facing state charges in New York alleging he defrauded donors to We Build The Wall. A Colorado businessman was convicted in October on counts of conspiracy and obstruction of justice after a first trial ended in a deadlocked jury.

The $30,000 fine, first reported by Business Insider, came after We Build The Wall rented Kobach an email list of their past donors to help his campaign raise money.

The rental fee was $2,000, believed to be a below-market rate, which the FEC deemed to be an in-kind contribution. Kobach ultimately lost in the Republican primary to U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.

Under federal election laws, corporations are barred from making contributions to a campaign, including in-kind contributions. The deal also alleges that Kobach did not report the contribution as required.

"Respondents contend that the Committee and WBTW believed, at the time of the rental, that the rental rate was consistent with market rates for non-candidate lists, but now agree that it was significantly below the usual and normal rate for comparable political list rentals," the agreement between Kobach and the FEC said.

In addition to the fine, both Kobach and We Build The Wall agreed to not violate the relevant portions of the law going forward. Kobach and the group will split the fine.

In 2019, two watchdog groups, Common Cause and the Campaign Legal Center, alleged Kobach's campaign violated federal campaign finance law in their dealings with the FEC. They also alleged further violations that the FEC said they could not substantiate.

A spokesperson for Kobach didn't immediately return a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kris Kobach fined by FEC before Kansas attorney general win