McCain in violation of FEC law

James

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The DNC announced today that it will file a complaint with the FEC against John McCain's campaign Monday, calling on the FEC to investigate whether the McCain campaign violated or is about to violate the law by ignoring the spending limit agreement and other conditions Senator McCain agreed to when he became eligible to receive federal matching funds. According to McCain's latest campaign filing, he has already spent $49.6 million and given that a month has passed, he has exceeded or is about to exceed the approximately $56.8 million spending limit.

"The crucial issue here is John McCain's integrity. John McCain poses as a reformer but seems to think reforms apply to everyone but him," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "He used taxpayer money to guarantee a loan so he could raise money from lobbyists and special interests -- it's the height of hypocrisy. This is just the latest example of his do as I say, not as I do double standard, and it's unlikely to be the last. McCain financially benefited from this legally binding contract -- he got free ballot access, saving him millions of dollars, and he secured a $4 million line of credit to keep his campaign afloat by using public financing as collateral. He should follow the law."

The McCain campaign has incorrectly stated that McCain is doing what Dean did when he withdrew from public financing in his presidential bid, but they have the facts wrong. Dean did not use the promise of matching funds as collateral for a loan. Dean withdrew before the FEC determined eligibility for funds, unlike McCain. And he spent millions of dollars to get his name on the ballot after withdrawing, unlike McCain, who had free ballot access in many states because he pledged to accept matching funds.

In order to receive matching funds, John McCain signed a binding agreement with the FEC to accept spending limits and to abide by the conditions of receiving those funds. The FEC makes clear that any request to withdraw from the agreement must be granted by the FEC. In other words, McCain can't just unilaterally withdraw. FEC Chairman David Mason made this clear in a letter to McCain advising him that the law requires the FEC to approve his request to withdraw from his contract.

According to past Commission rulings, the McCain campaign would not be allowed to withdraw from matching funds because it has already violated a key condition for being let out of the program -- pledging matching funds as collateral for a private loan. McCain obtained a $4 million line of credit -- drew $2,971,697 from it -- and documents make clear that the promise of public financing was used to secure his loan.

In the complaint, the DNC says "the Commission should (1) find reason to believe, pursuant to 2 U.S.C. Section 437g(a)(2), that Senator John McCain and the McCain Campaign have committed, or are about to commit, a violation of Chapter 96 of Title 26 and of the Commission's rules, and should conduct an investigation; and (2) pursuant to 26 U.S.C. Section 9040(c), petition the appropriate U.S. District Court for injunctive relief to implement and enforce the provisions of Chapter 96 against Senator McCain and the McCain Campaign."

A copy of the DNC's complaint will be available Monday once it's filed.

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

James

He already didn't have a chance in hell at the presidency, and this story right here seals the deal. The only real positive McCain has going for him is his "integrity" and being known for "straight talk". Not anymore.

Obama will kill him with this during a debate.

tejastech08

Yeah, it's a real sleazeball move of him to use his email list as fucking collateral to take out a loan because he's too stupid to efficiently run his campaign and was almost bankrupt. As an Obama donor, I would be pissed if Barack did this. I bet McCain's supporters don't give a shit though. The Republicans leading the party right now have serious issues when it comes to ethics, and McCain is apparently not an exception to that rule.

James

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- In a new twist to a potential scandal brewing on the campaign trail, broadcaster Lowell Paxson disputed statements from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, in 1999, the Washington Post reported on its Web site Saturday.

Paxson was quoted as saying he met with McCain in his office several weeks before the Arizona senator wrote two letters to the Federal Communications Commission urging a rapid decision on Paxson's quest to acquire a Pittsburgh television station.

Paxson also said that Iseman likely attended the meeting, which she helped to arrange it, the report said.

Paxson's claims conflicted with the account provided by the McCain campaign about the two letters at the center of a controversy about the senator's ties to Iseman. The McCain campaign said Thursday that the senator had not met with Paxson or Iseman on the matter.

In response, Paxson told the Post: "I remember going there to meet with him." He said he told McCain: "You're head of the Commerce Committee. The FCC is not doing its job. I would love for you to write a letter."

Randall Flagg

That is nothing but hearsay. The NYT article was a blatant attempt of character assasintation. I won't flee to Canada if Obama wins, but Howard Stern said it best today. Obama has turned the election into American Idol. The man offers nothing of any substance and his record is identical to Clinton's while in the Senate. Hope and change is the same platform Democrats ran on in 2006 and nothing has changed. If the American Idol fans get Obama elected, it will be a quick 4 years and then the adults can lead the country.

tejastech08

Randall Flagg wrote:

That is nothing but hearsay. The NYT article was a blatant attempt of character assasintation. I won't flee to Canada if Obama wins, but Howard Stern said it best today. Obama has turned the election into American Idol. The man offers nothing of any substance and his record is identical to Clinton's while in the Senate. Hope and change is the same platform Democrats ran on in 2006 and nothing has changed. If the American Idol fans get Obama elected, it will be a quick 4 years and then the adults can lead the country.

Have you read his website? There's plenty of substance on there. In fact, as Barack often jokes in his stump speech regarding his "empty speeches," he has so much information on his website that you can fall asleep reading about it. As for the NYT article, what the hell does that have to do with the FEC thing? Absolutely nothing. This FEC violation is completely separate.

Communist China

People say Barack doesn't actually say anything, but he says as much as any other candidate and much more on his website. If he never said anything, how could Clinton be attacking his health care plan every couple days? I mean, when there were 4 or 5 Republicans in one debate (Reagan library I think), all they ever said was "bring back manufacturing" and "don't take loans from the Chinese". Didn't explain how to do those, especially with the return of manufacturing being a pipe-dream of people that wouldn't ever in their lives take that type of job, or explain how that helps us in terms of economically trying to seperate us from China.

All politicians are empty. Most emptier than Obama. Besides, I'd rather have no ideas than a 100 year war in Iraq and free health care for Mexicans as major bullet points.

I do think Obama is probably a single term president. I think there should be a one term limit, with that term extended to 6 years. 8 years is too long, 4 is usually too short.

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