Overview
- The New York Times published its investigation on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, documenting high-dollar payments by campaigns to social media creators that were not disclosed to viewers.
- The report names specific payments including $400,000 from Tom Steyer to TikTok creator Carlos Eduardo Espina, $21,500 to commentator Josh Greene, and $139,500 paid by Katie Porter’s campaign to a group of influencers.
- Audits of filings and platform checks found posts later deleted, disclosures buried or missing, and the use of user-generated-content firms like SideShift that pay many small creators to post as if content were organic.
- The practice is bipartisan and hard to police because the Federal Trade Commission’s endorsement rules exempt political speech and payments are often funneled through vendors and sub-vendors to obscure the true source.
- Lawmakers and industry groups have responded with proposals and voluntary codes, including Rep. Mark Takano’s disclosure bill and Creator Congress’s draft code, but no uniform federal rule currently requires campaign-paid creators to disclose those payments.