JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office is investigating an out-of-state PAC and its creator, who have been helping State Senator Chris McDaniel (R-District 42) in his campaign for lieutenant governor.

Wisconsin political operative Thomas Datwyler formed “Invest in Mississippi PAC.” The PAC had received hundreds of thousands of dollars from several groups accused of being dark money Super PACs. Those PACs include American Jobs and Growth PAC, Defend U.S. PAC, Fund for a Working Congress and Save Our Constitution PAC.

The non-partisan watchdog group OpenSecrets.org defines dark money as spending designed to influence political outcomes without disclosing the source of the money.

According to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, an investigation into potential criminal violations under the Mississippi Election Code, as well as other statutes, was opened after a complaint was filed on August 3, 2023.

“The people of Mississippi should be able to expect that those who participate in our electoral process will not seek to exploit this careful balance and step over that line, and in this instance, there is evidence to suggest that has occurred here,” the Attorney General’s Office stated.

McDaniel is running against incumbent Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann and Tiffany Longino in the Republican primary on August 8, 2023.

At the time of publication, the McDaniel campaign had not responded to WJTV’s request for comment.