Kansas GOP accuses megachurch Pastor Adam Hamilton of violating election ethics law
The Kansas Republican Party has accused Methodist megachurch Pastor Adam Hamilton, who is weighing a potential run for U.S. Senate, of unlawfully using his congregation to advance his political ambitions. A spokesperson for the pastor called the allegation a "false political attack."
A complaint filed against Hamilton last week with the Federal Election Commission alleges that he used resources from the Church of the Resurrection for his exploratory committee.
The Kansas GOP claims that Hamilton violated the Federal Election Campaign Act when he posted a video about his potential independent candidacy on Church of the Resurrection’s official website and YouTube channel and sent it via email to church members.
The Church of the Resurrection, where Hamilton has served as senior pastor for 36 years, also launched a webpage featuring FAQs about Hamilton’s possible candidacy, which the GOP asserts constitutes an unlawful corporate contributions to a candidate for federal office.
Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Rob Fillion said in a statement that the complaint against Hamilton “raises serious questions about the separation between the Church of the Resurrection’s religious mission and partisan political activity.”
“This is a clear and blatant violation of federal law,” stated Fillion. “For more than a century, corporations, including nonprofit corporations like churches, have been strictly prohibited from making political contributions to federal candidates.”
“Adam Hamilton and the Church of the Resurrection used church staff time, facilities, databases, and communication platforms to launch his political campaign while claiming ‘firewalls’ that were immediately ignored. No one is above the law, and the FEC must investigate and enforce the rules that protect the integrity of our elections.”
A spokesperson for Hamilton's camp emailed a statement to The Christian Post claiming that the complaint was a political move by Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, whom Hamilton would face if he ran for office.
“It’s sad but not surprising that a politician like Roger Marshall would choose to launch false political attacks on people of faith and a leading church community in Kansas,” the spokesperson stated. “Kansans are tired of politicians like Roger Marshall who aren’t listening and just keep making things worse in Washington.”
The spokesperson also told CP that the video referenced in the complaint is strictly informative and does not tell viewers to support Hamilton’s possible political campaign.
The founding pastor of one of the largest United Methodist churches in the world, Hamilton announced in February that he was launching an exploratory committee to consider running for the Senate as an independent candidate.
“Our society is growing more polarized; concern for our fellow Americans, kindness, and reasoned dialogue are endangered,” he said in a press release in late February.
“The American experiment feels fragile. Families and communities are divided. We are better together and we need leaders who will work to unite us rather than seeking to divide.”
Although the February announcement said that Hamilton would likely decide by mid-April whether to run for office, the pastor had not yet made his choice public.
