Osborn Campaign Slapped With FEC Complaint Over Family Payments

by John Gage

OMAHA – Dan Osborn’s Senate campaign was hit with a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint over allegations that he improperly steered campaign funds towards family members. The complaint filed Monday by Americans for Public Trust (APT), a conservative watchdog group, called for the FEC to investigate Osborn’s campaign after filings showed his family members received at least $370,000 in campaign funds.

“Dan Osborn and his two campaign committees, Osborn for Senate and Osborn for Senate 2024, violated the prohibition against personal use of campaign funds by making payments to himself and to his family members or their business(es) in amounts that appear to be in excess of fair market value,” the complaint stated.

“It rings far more dubious than mere coincidence that so many members of the Osborn family meet the Commission’s requirements of providing bona fide campaign services at fair market value rates—all while seemingly lacking any previous professional campaign experience,” the letter added.

Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of APT, in a statement called Osborn’s campaign a “generational wealth strategy for his family.” “It’s more than suspicious that his campaign has paid his wife, his daughter, his brother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law,” she added.

The complaint also alleges that Osborn’s campaign is illegally coordinating with multiple PACS — the Working Class Heroes Fund and the League of Labor Voters.

Osborn’s campaign responded to the accusations, calling them “baseless.” “What this complaint describes are baseless, nuisance allegations designed to slow Dan’s momentum as he’s tied with Pete Ricketts in four straight polls—the campaign is fully compliant with all FEC rules,” a campaign spokesperson said.

Fox News first reported last month that the Osborn campaign had paid his family nearly $400,000 in campaign funds. Osborn’s wife took in almost $250,000 from the campaign through a consulting firm.

Osborn has previously defended paying his wife, stating she “has been instrumental in recruiting, preparing and supporting multiple working-class candidates across Nebraska and the country who share Dan's vision to fix our broken politics.”

In addition to questions about payments to family members, the Independent candidate has also received scrutiny over which party he will caucus with if elected to the Senate. Osborn has repeatedly stated publicly that he will remain an Independent and not caucus with either party if elected to the Senate.

Audio obtained by The Plains Sentinel from an August town hall reveals Osborn telling attendees that he is open to caucusing with Democrats if elected.

“If what I’m trying to do isn’t working, there’s only one party I would caucus with,” Osborn said. When asked to clarify his comments, he added, “Not [Republican] Pete Ricketts’s party.”

— John Gage is the Executive Editor of The Plains Sentinel.

(Picture credit Matt Johnson)