Fateh fined $500 for materials advertising DFL endorsement post-revocation

State Sen. Omar Fateh’s mayoral campaign will pay a $500 fine for continuing to distribute campaign materials advertising him as a DFL-endorsed candidate after the party revoked its endorsement.

Fateh won the mayoral endorsement at the Minneapolis DFL Convention on July 19, but the party announced on Aug. 21 it had clawed it back after a review found irregularities in the balloting process.

Regardless, Fateh campaign volunteers and surrogates continued to hand out literature bearing the DFL endorsement logo until a chief political officer of the DFL told the campaign on Aug. 26 to “make all reasonable efforts to stop using its endorsement on … campaign material,” an administrative court ruling states. Only then did Fateh’s staff begin blacking out references to the DFL endorsement on campaign literature.

Related stories:

Challenges to Minneapolis DFL convention claim flawed voting process, lack of quorum
DFL vacates Fateh’s endorsement for Minneapolis mayor, citing ‘substantial failures’ in process
Frey applauds DFL vacating Fateh’s mayoral endorsement; opponents denounce move
Minnesota DFL to not reinstate endorsement in Minneapolis mayoral race

The three-judge administrative court panel on Thursday ruled that the Fateh campaign’s decision to continue distributing outdated flyers was “motivated by convenience, not malice.” Still, the action constituted a violation of Minnesota campaign law, which prohibits candidates from making false claims of an endorsement by a major political party or organization.

“No matter how disruptive it would have been to cease using campaign material designed and ordered in good faith in the middle of a campaign, inconvenience does not excuse failure to follow the law,” the ruling states.

Read the full ruling below.

Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order (1)Download

Co-campaign manager Graham Faulkner testified in court that the campaign had made requests of its graphic designer to make corrective stickers and updated campaign literature and yard signs within a few days of Aug. 21.

The website took longer to update, and the last mention of a DFL endorsement — a photo of Fateh standing next to an outdated yard sign — wasn’t taken off Fateh’s website until Aug. 29.

Co-campaign manager Akhilesh Menawat attributed the delay in rectifying the website to an immediate focus on updating yard signs and flyers. The failure to take down the photo until more than a week after the endorsement had been revoked was “an oversight,” Menawat testified.

Overall, the judges found the campaign’s actions were “negligent, ill-advised, and ill-considered” but had “minimal impact and were easily countered,” resulting in a $500 civil penalty.

In a statement, Faulkner said the court’s ruling reflects “that our campaign immediately took corrective measures to ensure that voters had the most accurate information possible — as soon as possible.”

“We will continue to reach voters to win this November, and we will not be distracted by attempts from our opponents to tie up our time and resources in the courts, especially during such a crucial election for the voters and communities of Minneapolis,” Faulkner added.

The post Fateh fined $500 for materials advertising DFL endorsement post-revocation first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.