Checking The Wheels On The BMW (Direct)

TPM Muckraker and the new investigative group Pro Publica have their meathooks in this story about BMW Direct, a conservative fundraising groups that raises loads of cash all over the country for obscure clients and then taking a substantial cut of that money for themselves, essentially bilking contributors out of millions. Here's what we know so far:

• This wasn't limited to candidates, but for dummy PACs like the "Freedom's Defense Fund" which don't appear to actually exist.

• Apparently there's a two-tiered model for how BMW raises money for candidates. Sometimes they fund legitimate ones, like Reps. Geoff Davis and Virgil Goode, but BMW appears to take a lot less money out of their hauls for direct mail services. Then there are the nobody candidates like Deborah Travis Honeycutt, and almost all of her money goes into BMW's pocket. In the case of the obscure candidates, BMW appears to be significantly involved with their campaigns, with members of the organization serving as campaign Treausrers. It seems to me that the established Congressmen are the bait that enables BMW to hook the smaller fish.

• Pro Publica did some more searching. This is really sad:

Characteristic of BMW Direct's fundraising campaigns, more than 80 percent of the contributions came from out of the state and most donors disclosed their occupation as "retired," according to CQ Money Line. Among them was a 91 year-old man, whose family has become so alarmed by his giving to various Republican campaigns -- $139,000 since 1996 - that they've asked his caretaker to screen his calls and mail.

Despite this, the firm denies any wrongdoing in interviews to Pro Publica. Of course, they're not proud of the new-found exposure either - after the initial breaking of this story in the Boston Globe, BMW took their Web pages down.

• Incredibly, the suckers in this game (aside from the contributors), the candidates themselves, don't appear to be bothered by giving all their fundraising money to some direct-mail firm:

That didn't seem to bother (Honeycutt's) campaign manager, Michael Murphy.

"We've been very pleased with them. BMW Direct has been able to help us raise resources and tap into a thirst in the country for the principles and platforms that she stands on," he said.

Murphy was unable to say what that campaign money raised was spent on. The three campaign staffers are volunteers, and so far the main activity has been "pressing the flesh," he said.

Maybe BMW cuts these people in on the action after the fact. I don't know.

The overriding point here is that the conservative movement has set up a substantial series of organizations to steal from their most robust supporters to enrich themselves. That's how they fund-raise and that's how they govern.