A mysterious company has collected over $3 million from former President Donald Trump’s campaign for reasons neither party will own, according to a new report by NBC. The Delaware limited liability company, Launchpad Strategies, has received $3.1 million since its incorporation in November from the Trump campaign and a pro-Trump fundraising committee, NBC reported Monday.
“Little is known about Launchpad Strategies LLC beyond its existence and the millions of dollars it has taken in from a presidential campaign,” reporter Matt Dixon writes. “It has never done other political work for state-level or federal candidates, according to federal and state campaign finance disclosures.”
The company’s website is equally enigmatic, displaying only a black sky above grey clouds, with the crosshairs cursor showing its location along the x and y axes. The sole text on the site is the company’s name and a contact form. NBC reached out through this form but did not receive a reply.
Adding to the mystery, Launchpad Strategies is not registered in North Carolina, the state whose address appears in federal campaign finance reports, NBC notes. Trump campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes addressed the issue, stating that all legal obligations had been met. He described the company as “a digital advertising company that is primarily focused on our fundraising.”
However, several campaign finance watchdog organizations raised concerns about the nature of the relationship between the company and the campaign. “It’s concerning to see a company formed just six months ago suddenly receive over $3.1 million from Donald Trump’s network,” Saurav Ghosh, the Campaign Legal Center’s director of federal campaign finance reform, told NBC. “Who works there, what services they offer or have provided, and whether Trump’s payments to ‘Launchpad Strategies, LLC’ are for bona fide services or are, instead, actually payments to other vendors funneled through a mere corporate shell.”
This report surfaces amid Trump’s legal battles, including his conviction in a criminal hush money trial and the upcoming Republican National Convention in July. Trump has created a historic new form of campaign fundraising, delivering stump speeches from the court and promoting merchandise featuring his mug shot, an unprecedented move for a presidential nominee convicted of criminal charges. In May, Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments made to improve his chances in the 2016 presidential election.