Reply #35: Oh, hell, there IS a new paragraph in the revised story: NO PENALTY. WTF?

[highplainsdem]

I'd skimmed past the added paragraph when I was scrolling down the page and comparing the two versions of the story. This is from the new version at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/01/politics/01educ.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5094&en=2ca0f9a90d76f517&hp&ex=1128139200&adxnnl=0&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1128134618-fSwvDNjGbCc8dc5UqyzG3Q , and the additional one-sentence paragraph is in italics:

The G.A.O. said the Education Department had no money or authority to "procure favorable commentary in violation of the publicity or propaganda prohibition" in federal law.

The ruling comes with no penalty, but under federal law the department is supposed to report the violations to the White House and Congress.