South Dakota Democrats pay fine to settle financial probe

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Democratic Party will pay a $7,200 penalty to the Federal Election Commission to settle a probe into its bookkeeping. The FEC found this month the party engaged in “excessive, prohibited and other impermissible contributions or transfers, mathematical discrepancies” and a series of other violations during the 2017-2018 election cycle, the Argus Leader reported. A federal audit also found the party under-reported disbursements to the Democratic National Committee by $2.5 million during the 2015-16 election cycle. The infractions resulted in a shake-up of leadership after they were discovered in 2019. The party has struggled to gain political power in the state.