LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Republican Party of Kentucky has filed a complaint against Matt Jones, saying he, iHeartMedia and Simon & Schuster have violated Federal Election Commission regulations.
The complaint says that by allowing Jones to speak about his possible Senate campaign on Kentucky Sports Radio, iHeartMedia is contributing to his campaign.
Similarly, the complaint said Simon & Schuster, the publisher of Jones' upcoming book on Mitch McConnell, is also participating in campaign promotions.
FEC regulations prohibit corporations from making contributions to federal candidates. While Jones has not decided to run, he has filed FEC forms and created an exploratory committee, which the Republican Party of Kentucky has claimed establishes Jones as a "Senate candidate."
The complaint also mentions Jones' statewide tour, saying the tour was used to promote his Senate campaign. Because he did not report any expenses on the tour, the RPK claims he violated FEC regulations.
“In stark contrast to Jones’ candor about Amy McGrath’s authenticity problems, his attempts to conceal these violations from both the FEC and the public only heighten their severity," RPK Chairman J. McCauley Brown said.
Jones responded to the complaint on Twitter, saying he is not a candidate for Senate at this time.
"Mitch McConnell is trying to get KSR taken off the air immediately with this complaint. It’s nonsense and I am not even a candidate at this time for office," Jones tweeted. "Dogs don’t bark at parked cars."
According to Jones via his blog,
"Nice to be on the blog again, although unfortunately it is for this reason. Due to the Mitch McConnell complaint filed this morning with the FEC against me, iHeart Radio has asked that I not be on the show in the upcoming days. The complaint is absolute nonsense and very disappointing from someone as powerful as McConnell. I have said repeatedly in public and in filings with the FEC that I am not yet a candidate and I haven’t used the show to raise money or talk about my Exploratory Committee in any way. Nevertheless Senator McConnell has complained that having me on air is unfair and the man who speaks often about the importance of free speech and the exchange of public ideas has decided to cut off mine."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.