A political action committee for California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom reportedly purchased 67,000 copies of his book, making it a best seller on one of the country’s most influential listings.
The practice is not illegal, and has been done before, yet about two-thirds of the print copies sold were bought by the “Campaign for Democracy Committee,” according to The New York Times.
Back in November, Newsom offered supporters the chance to donate any amount to his political group, and he would send them a copy of his book, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery.”
“Make a contribution of ANY AMOUNT today and I will send you a copy,” he wrote.
New federal records revealed on Wednesday that the PAC paid over $1.5 million to purchase and distribute copies of his book through the program.
A spokesman for Newsom, Nathan Click, claimed the PAC made enough money to cover the cost of the books, and then some.
“We were thrilled with the response,” he told the newspaper. “Our goal was to deepen the relationship between him and the millions of folks who have already expressed support for Governor Newsom’s work. And as it turns out, the tactic more than paid for itself.”
The book was included on the New York Times best-seller list, but has an asterisk due to the PAC’s purchases.
In the newspaper’s report, New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said: “When The Times has reason to believe that sales of a book include a mix of organic and bulk sales, the book’s best-seller ranking is accompanied by a dagger. That’s what we did with the Newsom book.”
The California Democrat has become a target of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, as they continue to investigate nationwide fraud.
After Trump established the “Task Force to Eliminate Fraud” via executive order back in March, and put Vance in charge, states like California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Minnesota have been singled out as some of the worst offenders.
Shortly before Trump formed the task force, Newsom said Vance frightens him.
“But Vance, for whatever reason, scares me. Almost more than Trump,” he admitted, during a podcast interview with Jen Psaki.
The governor’s fear might be justified.
The White House scrutinized California’s spending practices earlier this year, and in February, the Small Business Administration announced it had uncovered $8.6 billion in fraud tied to small business loans in the state.
“We have suspended nearly 112,000 borrowers tied to at least $9 billion in suspected fraud,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler told Fox News.
“This staggering number represents the most significant crack-down on those who defrauded pandemic programs, and it illuminates the scale of corruption that the Biden Administration tolerated for years.”
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