An adviser to President Joe Biden is the founding chairman of a super PAC that’s received repeated warnings from federal authorities for failing to comply with federal campaign finance law.
Democratic Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta was named the chair of Agenda PAC, a pro-LGBTQ super PAC, when it was founded in 2022 and identified again as the committee’s chairman in a May 31, 2023, article. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) warned Agenda PAC in August 2023 for failing to file its mid-year financial report, which the FEC says runs afoul of federal law.
Agenda PAC has yet to file any 2023 campaign finance disclosures as of writing, according to the FEC.
In addition to serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Kenyatta is also running for Pennsylvania state auditor and serving as the chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.
Agenda PAC “aims to hold anti-LGBTQ+ politicians and elected officials accountable, as well as defend vulnerable elected officials who are advocates for LGBTQ+ rights,” according to its website.
Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at the nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that “voters have an absolute right to know where the money is coming from, and how it is being spent, by any and all super PACs to promote or attack federal candidates.”
“Transparency of money in politics is a pillar of our democratic system because it helps inform voters of the nature of campaign advertisements designed to influence their vote,” he continued.
The FEC warning issued more than four months ago said that it is “important” that Agenda PAC “file this report immediately.”
Failing to file disclosures could result in “civil money penalties, an audit or legal enforcement action,” according to the FEC.
Holman told the DCNF that “it is not all that common for a super PAC to ignore warnings from the FEC about improper or absent filings.”
An FEC spokesperson told the DCNF that they had no new information to share regarding Agenda PAC. A database maintained by the FEC indicates that Agenda PAC has not yet been fined.
While tied to a PAC that the FEC warned for noncompliance with federal financial disclosure requirements, Kenyatta is running for an office that oversees compliance with financial laws in Pennsylvania.
Kenyatta is the only declared Democratic candidate running for Pennsylvania auditor general in 2024. The auditor general serves as Pennsylvania’s “the chief fiscal watchdog” and “is responsible for using audits to ensure that all state money is spent legally and properly,” according to the commonwealth.
Agenda PAC gave $8,000 to Kenyatta’s ill-fated Senate campaign in December 2022, according to FEC disclosures.
Though Agenda PAC has not filed disclosures for its 2023 political operations, social media posts from the PAC indicate that it was politically active.
In a Nov. 1, 2023, post to X, formerly known as Twitter, the PAC advertised a door-knocking event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dedicated to “kicking out anti-LGBTQ+ politicians.”
Agenda PAC ran multiple political advertisements in Pennsylvania in 2023 seeking to influence the outcome of school board races.
A post made by Agenda PAC on Nov. 9, 2023, congratulated a slate of candidates that the political committee had backed in Pennsylvania school board elections. “This is only the beginning,” the post read.
Karen Smith, one of the victorious school board candidates congratulated in Agenda PAC’s post, drew controversy when she placed her hand on a book that depicts naked teenage boys while taking her oath of office, Fox News Digital reported.
This isn’t the first time the FEC has warned Agenda PAC for failing to comply with federal campaign finance regulations. The PAC was warned by the FEC several times about its 2022 filings for failing to file on time and for inaccuracies in their disclosures.
Kenyatta and Agenda PAC did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Robert Schmad on February 4, 2024
