WATCHDOGS CHALLENGE CRUZ PODCAST ARRANGEMENT: Campaign finance watchdogs Campaign Legal Center and End Citizens United filed a complaint today with the Federal Election Commission alleging Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) violated federal law after revenue from Cruz's podcast was transferred to a super PAC backing him. — The company iHeartMedia, which is home to Cruz's podcast, has given more than $630,000 to Truth and Courage PAC this cycle, with that money stemming from the podcast's ad revenue. — The complaint with the FEC alleges that the most "reasonable and logical inference" is that Cruz in some way directed iHeartMedia to transfer ad revenue to the super PAC. As a federal officeholder, however, Cruz is barred from soliciting money from corporations such as iHeartMedia in connection with his own reelection efforts. The complaint also suggests that Truth and Courage PAC improperly reported the contributions. — "[B]y entering into an agreement with iHeartMedia in which Cruz (directly or through his agents) effectively told the corporation to 'send all contributions' to [Truth and Courage PAC], or provided it with instructions to supply the money generated through podcast ad sales to the super PAC, Cruz directly or indirectly solicited corporate money," the complainants write. The complaint asks the FEC to conduct an immediate investigation — but the FEC rarely moves quickly on complaints like this. FIRST IN PI — BROIDY ‘HACK AND SMEAR’ LAWSUITS SETTLED: Republican megadonor Elliott Broidy and the security consultancy Global Risk Advisors, former Qatari lobbyist Nick Muzin, his firm Stonington Strategies and media strategist Gregory Howard have settled two lawsuits filed by Broidy that alleged the defendants were involved in hacking his emails, Daniel reports. — The separate lawsuits, which were in the middle of discovery, were filed in 2019 after embarrassing details about Broidy’s personal life were reported in several media outlets. Both lawsuits, which were in New York and Washington courts, were dismissed with prejudice on Monday after the parties requested the action, meaning that they can’t be refiled. — Broidy was a top fundraiser for President Donald Trump who accused Qatar of conspiring with former American and British spies to hack and publicize his emails as part of a clandestine state-sponsored influence operation on U.S. soil. His lawsuit against the Persian Gulf state was dismissed soon after it was filed due to the country having sovereign immunity. — “This dismissal marks the end of nearly six years spent fighting to clear my name,” Kevin Chalker, founder and CEO of Qrypt and a former CIA operative, told PI. “As I have maintained from the very outset and throughout the six years, the accusations made about me were without merit.” Muzin had no comment, and a spokesperson for Broidy declined to comment. Lawyers for Broidy, Muzin, Stonington and Howard didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. POLLING FIRM REBRANDS: Moore Information Group, the polling firm run by Erik Iverson, has expanded and rebranded as Peak Insights. Jeff Glassburner, who ran Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) Iowa operation for his presidential campaign, is joining Peak Insights’ D.C. office, along with Sam Lancaster, who will be based in a new Atlanta office and will run the firm’s voter contact, voter identification and modeling programs. Larry Jacobs and Tamara Wisinski Wynn are joining the firm from Ipsos. FLYING IN: More than 100 representatives from the Semiconductor Industry Association are on the Hill today and tomorrow to debrief with lawmakers on the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act — pushing for funding for the “and Science” portion of the bill, as well as other research and development programs. — Chipmakers are also planning to discuss SIA’s newly released workforce policy blueprint and tax issues. The trade group has meetings scheduled with members or staff from more than 70 offices, including leaders on the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees, Senate Commerce, House Science and the appropriations panels. — The Alzheimer’s Association has flown in more than 1,000 advocates from all 50 states for the group’s annual summit. More than 500 Hill meetings are on the docket for this week, during which advocates will call for more funding for dementia research. — And Maryland leaders — including Democratic Gov. Wes Moore — held a fly-in/staycation hybrid on the Hill this morning to rally support for federal funding to rebuild Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Per our Anthony Adragna, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Moore, along with the rest of Maryland’s congressional delegation, “said the total cost of rebuilding the bridge remained unclear but that the delegation would remain united in pursuing needed funds.” — “‘Tragedy knows no partisanship,’ Rep. Andy Harris, the lone GOP member of the state's delegation,” said at a news conference, where he pushed back on calls from the conservative House Freedom Caucus for concessions in exchange for funding the rebuilding process. Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, meanwhile, teased that the delegation planned to flex its muscle on the House Appropriations Committee if need be. ADVOCACY’S NEXT FRONTIER: “Activist groups are using a typical advocacy tool — voicemails to members of Congress — with a new, uncomfortable twist: They’re from the deceased victims of gun violence, generated by artificial intelligence,” our Jackie Padilla writes. — “TheShotline.org, a gun reform campaign by March for Our Lives and Change the REF, is asking constituents nationwide to send representatives in their zip code the AI-generated phone calls. The voice memos feature six victims of gun violence, including those killed in mass shootings, suicide, and people like 15-year-old Ethan Song, whose accidental death was the result of an unsecured gun in 2018 in Connecticut.” — “The advocacy organizations hope the chilling recordings will lead to the passage of federal gun reform, specifically an assault weapons ban. … Florida Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost called the AI-generated audio ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘uncomfortable.’ He added, ‘That's the point of it. The point is to feel uncomfortable.’” COMER SQUEEZES GARLAND ON FARA INQUIRIES: “House Oversight Committee Republicans are threatening to subpoena the Justice Department if it does not willingly turn over documents related to any investigations of TikTok and Al Jazeera under the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” per the Washington Examiner’s Rachel Schilke. — House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) accused Attorney General Merrick Garland in a letter on Monday of refusing to turn over documents about any FARA probes related to the two companies that Comer requested in February. — “‘The evidence that TikTok and Al Jazeera are operating at the behest of foreign principals is substantial, but they continue to operate without registration,’ Comer wrote. ‘The Department has not been responsive to the Committee’s inquiries regarding both Al Jazeera and TikTok’s internal status relating to FARA registration.’ House Republicans are giving the DOJ until April 15 to provide the requested document. Otherwise, the committee will consider subpoenas to force production.”
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