Republican Mike Rogers used campaign cash to promote defense contractor interests

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers funneled political donations to a national security group that wants more American intervention abroad. The revelation adds to a growing list of questionable financial ties that have dogged Rogers’ campaign.

Rogers served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015. He won the Republican nomination for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat last month.

Every candidate for federal office has a principal campaign committee responsible for managing campaign finances. In January 2015, immediately after leaving office, Rogers converted his committee into a PAC called Securing America’s Future. This allowed Rogers to use funds he raised as a candidate for broader political purposes.

In February 2015, Rogers started a group called Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security (APPS). The group was financed by a $200,000 donation from Securing America’s Future. In a press release, Rogers said the group would encourage presidential candidates to adopt more hawkish foreign policy positions.

“The need for strong American leadership at home and abroad has never been greater,” Rogers said. “The road to the White House starts in Iowa and that road must end with a President who embraces American exceptionalism and understands stability abroad brings prosperity at home. We can’t afford to get this wrong.”

Rogers reportedly considered running for president in 2016 and 2024.

In May 2015, The Intercept reported the APPS was staffed by a cadre of defense contractors who would benefit from increased militarism. This included Stephen Hadley, who served on the board of directors of Raytheon, and John Engler, who ran a lobbying group that represented Lockheed Martin. 

The Intercept identified six other APPS staffers with ties to the defense industry. 

Securing America’s Future transferred an additional $660,000 to APPS between 2015 and 2016. Andy Keiser, who served as Rogers chief of staff in Congress, was listed as APPS’s director. Keiser was paid $116,333 in this same period.

This is not the first time Rogers has been accused of using his political connections to advance the interests of private companies. In 2016, he became an advisor for IP3, a nuclear technology company. IP3 unsuccessfully lobbied the Trump administration to relax regulations on nuclear power in the Middle East. Rogers was also a security advisor for AT&T.

Since leaving office, Rogers’ net worth has ballooned from $655,000 to $13 million.

Rogers’ Democratic opponent is Rep. Elissa Slotkin. A YouGov poll from September showed Slotkin leading Rogers 48% to 41%.