Bernie Sanders and senators urge Betsy DeVos to pay millions in election fines

The incoming education secretary’s former school choice PAC owes more than $5.3 million in fines

Ms DeVos used the headquarters of her advocacy group to funnel payments to other states (AP)

Bernie Sanders and a group of senators have called on incoming education secretary Betsy DeVos to pay more than $5 million in election fines owed by an education-focused political action committee (PAC) she used to run.

Billionaire Republican donor Ms DeVos received a letter urging her to pay $5.3 million for violations from nearly 10 years ago, owed by a school choice advocacy group she used to run.

Politico reports that the letter, signed by independent Vermont senator Mr Sanders and four democratic senators, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Tom Udall of Arizona and Ed Markley of Massachusetts, said that they had "significant concerns" about the fines.

"If confirmed as secretary of Education, you would be responsible for administering our nation's student loan programs and ensuring that borrowers repay their loans in a timely manner," the letter stated.

"However, the PAC that you chaired failed to pay fines that were imposed on it over eight years ago. This demonstrates a serious lack of judgment by the PAC's board and a willingness to avoid paying legally obligated public debts."

Ms DeVos’s former PAC, All Children Matter, was based in Virginia and had no limits on political contributions.

However, it allegedly broke the law when it funneled $870,000 to an affiliate in Ohio, a state that has a $10,000 cap on individual gifts, according to the Ohio Elections Commission.

Ed Patry, a spokesman for Ms DeVos, told Politico that the legal battle over paying the fines is a "politically driven effort to derail education reform in Ohio". He said the letter was "a transparently political maneuver".

A Trump transition representative said that the fines were no longer binding due to the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling.

Ms DeVos’ group made the payments two years prior to the ruling.

She currently chairs education campaign group American Federation for Children, which has lobbied for the expansion of charter schools and school voucher programmes that would offer low-income families public money to spend on private school tuition for their children.

Upon her appointment as education secretary, she said the status quo "was not acceptable".

"I am committed to transforming our education system into the best in the world. However, out of respect for the United States Senate, it is most appropriate for me to defer expounding on specifics until they begin their confirmation process."