NEW YORK _ President Donald Trump's personal lawyer in the ever-expanding Russia probe contributed an "excessive" and "prohibited" amount of money to his re-election campaign last year, raising red flags from the Federal Election Commission.
John Dowd, who's coordinating the White House response to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, donated $300 to Trump's 2020 campaign on July 4 and another $2,700 on Oct. 1, according to a March 8 letter from the FEC.
The letter, addressed to Trump treasurer Bradley Crate, points out that individuals are only allowed to contribute a total of $2,700 per election cycle _ and Dowd was hardly alone in contributing too much cash.
The New York Daily News counted at least 72 individuals who gave an "excessive, prohibited and impermissible" amount of money to Trump's re-election campaign last year.
Benjamin Ginsberg, an attorney representing Dowd, blamed "FEC reporting software" for the blunder, noting that he received a $300 refund check from the Trump campaign on Jan. 2.
The FEC letter states that the campaign must reattribute or refund all other "excessive contributions" within 60 days.
It was not clear who was to blame for Dowd's excessive contributions, but experts noted that both sides are at fault.
"It's just sloppy accounting on both sides, both the campaign and Dowd," Stephen Spaulding, a former FEC special counsel, said.
Dowd was put on Trump's legal team in part because of his longtime experience as a white-collar defense attorney with extensive understanding of Washington, D.C.
Considering Dowd's merits, Spauling ripped him for not being more thorough.
"This is not rocket science," he said. "The limit is $2,700 per year. It's pretty clear."
