Watchdog Groups Call on DOJ to Launch Investigation into Trump's Campaign — Here's Why

Several watchdog groups sent a letter to the Department of Justice Friday calling on the agency to launch an investigation into Donald Trump's campaign, which they believe is "engaging in knowing and willful violations of federal campaign finance laws."

That charge comes from accusations that Team Trump is soliciting the donations of foreign nationals, specifically in the wake of the  "Brexit" vote last month in the U.K. The Republican presidential nominee's campaign was hit with a complaint filed at the Federal Elections Commission in June suggesting it had sent fundraising emails to dozens of Icelandic, Scottish, Australian and British politicians.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

According to federal law, soliciting donations from foreign nationals for a presidential campaign is illegal.

"This is an open and shut case of the Trump campaign illegally soliciting foreign contributions," Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said in a statement. "It is striking and inexplicable that these solicitations brazenly continued after the Trump campaign was informed they were prohibited by law.

The letter, which Wertheimer signed, asserts the Justice Department has the responsibility of enforcing campaign finance laws against "knowing and willful" violations. As of July 16, Trump's campaign was still seeking donations from foreign nationals, according to a report from The Hill.

Terri Butler, a progressive member of Parliament, said she was surprised to still be receiving the solicitations to her official government email address from the then-presumptive Republican nominee for president.

Trump formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination for president during his speech Thursday night at the GOP Convention.

Read the full letter to the Justice Department below:

(H/T: Mediaite)

—

Follow the author of this story on Twitter: 

Follow @tregp