{"id":285,"date":"2026-06-09T10:08:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=285"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:08:41","slug":"two-friends-formed-a-pac-now-one-has-accused-the-other-of-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=285","title":{"rendered":"Two Friends Formed a PAC. Now One Has Accused the Other of Theft."},"content":{"rendered":"
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An upstart political committee is grappling with the consequences of mixing money and friendship.<\/p>\n

Read more Why Trinity Rodman Chose to Stay in D.C.<\/a><\/p>\n

In a to the Federal Election Commission last week, the Existentialist Republic PAC accused its former treasurer, Clifford Michael Pickens, of misappropriating more than $7,400.<\/p>\n

But Pickens told NOTUS that it\u2019s all a misunderstanding and he had failed to respond to PAC founder Chris Armitage\u2019s repeated inquiries and a legal demand letter because of \u201cpersonal family issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armitage is now considering whether to press charges against Pickens.<\/p>\n

A NOTUS review of federal documents and separate interviews with Pickens and Armitage reveals how their longtime friendship devolved into accusations, incriminations and ghosting.<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t always been this way. Armitage told NOTUS that he had been friends with Pickens for more than a decade when he tapped him to be treasurer of the Existentialist Republic PAC, which was formed<\/u><\/span> on March 2, according to FEC records.<\/p>\n

Armitage, a former Democratic congressional candidate<\/u><\/span>, told NOTUS that he launched the political committee to conduct civic outreach on issues he cares about, including universal health care. The website describes<\/u><\/span> the PAC\u2019s goal as electing leaders \u201cwho believe in evidence-driven action and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

During March and April, Pickens was slow to respond to Armitage\u2019s messages and repeatedly told Armitage he was having trouble opening a bank account for the committee, according to Existentialist Republic PAC\u2019s letter to the FEC.<\/p>\n

Because of their friendship, however, Armitage told NOTUS he initially gave Pickens \u201ca lot of leeway.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the FEC sent Existentialist Republic PAC a on May 1 warning that it had not filed its mandatory quarterly campaign finance report. Concerned, Armitage contacted ActBlue, the omnipresent Democratic fundraising platform that Existentialist Republic PAC uses for its fundraising.<\/p>\n

ActBlue told Armitage that eight checks payable to Existentialist Republic PAC and issued between March 23 and May 1 had been deposited in a bank account \u2014 even though Pickens had told Armitage he was unable to set up an account for the PAC, according to the committee\u2019s letter to the FEC.<\/p>\n

The checks had been sent to Pickens\u2019 personal address, which doubled as the committee\u2019s address of record.<\/p>\n

On May 15, Armitage filed paperwork<\/u><\/span> with the FEC to remove Pickens as treasurer.<\/p>\n

Two days later, Existentialist Republic PAC sent Pickens a formal letter via mail, email and text demanding a full accounting and return of the committee\u2019s funds, according to the committee\u2019s letter to the FEC. The committee also said it was preparing complaints with the FBI, the Maricopa County Sheriff\u2019s Office and the Office of the Arizona Attorney General.<\/p>\n

While the committee has not yet filed a campaign finance disclosure, Armitage told NOTUS that the $7,400 was \u201calmost everything\u201d the committee had raised.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I feel dumb,\u201d Armitage told NOTUS.<\/p>\n

Armitage said he simply wanted to ask Pickens: \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just talk to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

After NOTUS spoke with Armitage, the two men spoke to each other.<\/p>\n

Both Armitage and Pickens told NOTUS that their call was brief, and Pickens told Armitage he would send him the disputed money.<\/p>\n

Pickens told NOTUS in an email that Armitage\u2019s accusations are a \u201csurprise.\u201d He said he had personally covered the cost of building the committee\u2019s website and paid the social media manager \u201cwhen Chris could not pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickens also called NOTUS on Friday as he drove from Washington state to Arizona in a \u201ctruck packed full of stuff.\u201d Pickens said he had \u201cignored a lot of people in my life\u201d while separating from his spouse and making several major repairs on a property he was selling.<\/p>\n

Read more Political Committees Are Still Forfeiting Crypto Kingpins\u2019 Tainted Contributions<\/a><\/p>\n

Pickens told NOTUS that he had deposited the checks from ActBlue into his marketing business account. When NOTUS asked Pickens if he spent the funds on any personal expenses, he said he had not \u2014 and that he would send Armitage the funds when he returned to Arizona.<\/p>\n

When contacted for comment, ActBlue pointed NOTUS to a policy<\/u><\/span> that states it can suspend or terminate access if it suspects an individual or committee has used the platform for illegal or unethical activity and will work on a \u201ccase-by-case\u201d basis to gather information related to any recent allegations of criminal activity.<\/p>\n

A source familiar with the matter told NOTUS that Pickens is no longer permitted on ActBlue and has been added to a list of individuals monitored for any potential new activity on the platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so sorry that this even got to this point, and I understand that it\u2019s my fault for not communicating with him, but I\u2019ve just been going through a lot,\u201d Pickens told NOTUS.<\/p>\n

Why didn\u2019t he just decline his friend\u2019s offer to become the Existentialist Republic PAC\u2019s treasurer?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Pickens said.<\/p>\n

Pickens is not listed<\/u><\/span> as the treasurer on any other federal political committees, but the Libertarian Party website lists<\/u><\/span> Pickens as the chair of the Washington state affiliate. The Libertarian Party confirmed he is the chair of the affiliate but declined to comment on the matter.<\/p>\n

Dave Mason, a former Republican FEC chairman, told NOTUS that Pickens had violated campaign finance law prohibiting the commingling of funds for a PAC and any other account. When asked if the committee had an obligation to file a police report, Mason said the committee only had to report to the FEC where the money went and if it was returned.<\/p>\n

But, he added, typically \u201cthe FEC expects people to file a police report.\u201d The FEC only has two of six commissioners currently<\/u><\/span> and would need at least four to open a case. It\u2019s unlikely that the agency would use its limited resources to pursue a case over the small dollar amount.<\/p>\n

The FEC declined to comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the kind of thing that happens when people rely on friends and informal procedures,\u201d Mason said.<\/p>\n

Alleged embezzlement or misappropriation from political campaigns and committees happens with some frequency. In the recent past, several once-trusted treasurers have<\/u><\/span> admitted<\/u><\/span> to or been<\/u><\/span> accused<\/u><\/span> of stealing funds from major trade associations and unions \u2014 as well as sitting members of Congress.<\/p>\n

Pickens told NOTUS that he hopes his friendship with Armitage can recover.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no hard feelings against him. He did what he felt he needed to do,\u201d Pickens said. \u201cI love Chris. He\u2019s awesome. I support everything that he\u2019s doing, and I\u2019ll continue to support him.\u201d<\/p>\n

When NOTUS asked Armitage if the friendship could recover, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019d be an idiot to ever trust him again,\u201d Armitage said.<\/p>\n

He said the Existentialist Republic PAC is on \u201cpause right now\u201d while he handles the situation, but \u201cwe\u2019re gonna get stuff done.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of Monday, Armitage said he was still waiting for the funds Pickens had promised him. Pickens sent NOTUS a screenshot of a wire transfer Monday evening as evidence he transferred some of the money \u2014 $3,500 \u2014 to Armitage.<\/p>\n

Read more The Justice Department Had 36 Lawyers Fighting Corruption Full-Time. Under Trump, It\u2019s Down to Two.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The PAC\u2019s founder, Chris Armitage, may pursue legal charges against his longtime friend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Friends Formed a PAC. Now One Has Accused the Other of Theft. - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=285\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Friends Formed a PAC. 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