FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20463

Via Electronic Mail Only June 28, 2022

cg@gobergroup.com

Chris Gober 

The Gober Group 

P.O. Box 341016 

Austin, TX 78734 

RE: AR 22-02 

 Mike Braun for Indiana and Thomas Datwyler, Treasurer 

Dear Mr. Gober: 

 The Federal Election Commission (“Commission”), has ascertained information in the 

normal course of carrying out its supervisory responsibilities indicating your clients Mike Braun 

for Indiana and Thomas Datwyler in his official capacity as treasurer (“Committee”), may have 

violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the “Act”). Thus, the 

Committee has been identified by the Commission for possible enforcement action under 52 

U.S.C. § 30109.1 Specifically, the Commission has recognized that the Committee may have 

violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104, among other provisions of the Act, for understated disbursements 

and receipts by $6,293,50 and $6,294,482, respectively; Calendar Year (2018), and for failing to 

correctly disclose loan balances and loan terms for transactions totaling $11,569,963; Calendar 

Years (2017, 2018). For further information, a copy of the referral documents us enclosed. We 

have numbered this referral AR 22-02. 

The Act affords you the opportunity to demonstrate in writing that no action should be 

taken against your clients Mike Braun for Indiana and Thomas Datwyler in his official capacity 

as treasurer in this matter. If you wish to file a response, you may submit any factual or legal 

materials that you believe are relevant to the Commission’s consideration of this matter. Where 

appropriate, statements should be submitted under oath by persons with relevant knowledge. 

Your response, which should be addressed to the General Counsel's Office, must be submitted 

within 15 days of receipt of this letter. If no response is received within 15 days, the 

Commission may take further action based on the available information. 

This matter will remain confidential in accordance with 52 U.S.C. § 30109(a)(4)(B) and 

§ 30109(a)(12)(A) unless you notify the Commission in writing that you wish the matter to be

made public. Please be advised that, although the Commission cannot disclose information

regarding an investigation to the public, it may share information on a confidential basis with

1 Notification of this referral is being provided to you pursuant to the Commission’s Agency Procedure for 

Notice to Respondents in Non-Complaint Generated Matters, as published in the Federal Register on August 4, 2009 

(74 Fed. Reg. 38,617).

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AR 22-02

Page 2

other law enforcement agencies.1 Please note that you have a legal obligation to preserve all 

documents, records, and materials relating to the subject matter of the complaint until such time 

as you are notified that the Commission has closed its file in this matter. See 18 U.S.C. § 1519. 

Any correspondence sent to the Commission, such as a response, must be addressed to 

one of the following (note, if submitting via email this Office will provide an electronic receipt 

by email):

Mail OR Email 

 Federal Election Commission cela@fec.gov 

 Office of Complaints Examination 

 & Legal Administration 

 Attn: Christal Dennis, Paralegal

 1050 First Street, NE

 Washington, DC 20463 

 

 As indicated in the FEC’s Notice found at https://www.fec.gov/resources/cmscontent/documents/status-of-fec-operations.pdf, the office’s mailroom opens on a limited basis 

and, therefore, processing correspondence may be delayed. Accordingly, we strongly encourage 

you to file responses and additional correspondence via email. 

 If you have any questions, please contact Christal Dennis at (202) 694-1519. For your 

information, we have enclosed a brief description of the Commission's procedures for handling 

complaints.

Sincerely,

Charles Kitcher

Acting Associate General Counsel

Enforcement 

1

 The Commission has the statutory authority to refer knowing and willful violations of the Act to the 

Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution, 52 U.S.C. § 30109(a)(5)(C), and to report information 

regarding violations of law not within its jurisdiction to appropriate law enforcement authorities. Id. § 30107(a)(9). 

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