What is Kelly Cooper Hiding About the $1.3 Million Loan to His Campaign?

It's the case of the mystery $1.3 million loan - and Kelly Cooper likely breaking federal ethics law to conceal the source.

New reporting from Roll Call revealed that Kelly Cooper violated federal ethics law by failing to report enough assets to explain a massive, $1.3 million self-loan to his own campaign. According to an ethics and campaign finance expert, Cooper is either "omitting assets or accounts from his disclosure, or he could 'bankroll his campaign on ghost money and default on his vendors.'"

Roll Call also reported that failing to file or report the required information could lead to civil penalties - and that under "federal criminal law, anyone who knowingly and willfully falsifies or conceals any material fact in a statement to the government can be fined up to $50,000 and/or imprisoned up to five years."

Cooper's campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

"Kelly Cooper is hiding the truth about his finances to mask the source of his massive, seven-figure self loan to his own campaign, and he's breaking the law to do it," said DCCC spokesperson Monica Robinson. "If he's not willing to follow ethics laws as a candidate, he won't do it in Congress. Arizonans can't trust Kelly Cooper."

Roll Call: Source of Stanton opponent's campaign loan unclear
By Kate Ackley
September 20, 2022

• "Kelly Cooper, the Republican challenging Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton in Arizona's 4th District, amended his personal financial disclosure this month after an inquiry from CQ Roll Call, disclosing more assets and recent salary."

• "Cooper has reported loaning his congressional campaign more than $1.3 million from July of last year through June 27, but his assets and salary on required disclosure forms did not appear to identify where he got that much money, even after he amended the report."

• "A consultant for Cooper's campaign did not respond to requests for comment. His campaign did not respond to requests to a general email account either."

• "'It is difficult to discern what is going on with Kelly Cooper's finances from the personal financial disclosure report,' [Craig] Holman said. 'Judging from what he is reporting, there is no $1.3 million available to loan his campaign.'"

• "Holman said Cooper is either omitting assets or accounts from his disclosure, or he could 'bankroll his campaign on ghost money and default on his vendors.'"

• "The Ethics in Government Act authorizes the attorney general to seek a civil penalty up to $50,000 against someone who 'knowingly and willfully falsifies or fails to file or to report any required information,' according to the House Ethics Committee."

• "Under federal criminal law, anyone who knowingly and willfully falsifies or conceals any material fact in a statement to the government can be fined up to $50,000 and/or imprisoned up to five years."