A political influencer has filed a complaint with California's Fair Political Practices Commission accusing Tom Steyer's gubernatorial campaign of failing to notify her of mandatory disclosure requirements and using a nondisclosure agreement to conceal a paid content arrangement, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Reed, who goes by mermaidmamamaggie online and reaches roughly 500,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, told the Times that the Steyer campaign's payment of $5,000 to her agency covered a March meeting with Steyer, from which she made a video she later removed from social media. Although the contract required Reed to comply with state, federal, and local laws, it did not explicitly state that she was obligated to label any content she created as sponsored.
"In plain terms: the Committee paid for political content, structured it to look like an ordinary creator's organic opinion, and used a non-disclosure agreement to keep the public from learning the truth," the complaint states, according to the Times.
According to the Times, the Steyer campaign acknowledged compensating Reed for the meeting but maintained that whether to produce any content from it was her choice alone.
