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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Can corporations make direct 'in-kind' contributions to political campaigns?

By Seth Smalley
NO

According to the Federal Election Commission, campaigns may not accept contributions from corporations, whether cash or in-kind goods or services. (Its rules do permit contributions from political-action committees affiliated with an organization that pool contributions from affiliated individuals.)

The Republican National Committee on Oct. 16 filed a complaint with the FEC about Twitter, charging that the social-media's moderation decisions about news coverage of Joe Biden and his son Hunter amounted to an "illegal in-kind contribution" to Biden's campaign.

The commission is currently unable to enforce its regulations as it lacks a quorum of members.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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