FEC hits Swift Liars with 300K fine

[rox63]

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002141.php

FEC Fines Swift Boat Vets $300K

By Paul Kiel - December 13, 2006, 11:52 AM

Is the era of the millionaire-backed attack group coming to an end?

The Federal Election Commission hit the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth with a $299,500 fine today for playing too fast with election rules. The Swift Boat Vets were a "527" organization, which has no limits on contributions, but were acting like federal political committees, the FEC charged. 527s are allowed to work for or against certain candidates, but if they have no other "major purpose," according to FEC spokesman Bob Biersack, then they should register as a committee.

That's a huge difference. Committees can only accept $5,000 in contributions per person per year. The Swift Boat Vets, by comparison, accepted $4.4 million from GOP money man Bob Perry in 2004. Perry played the same trick in this year's election, throwing $9 million at three different 527 attack groups, which used it to target dozens of Democratic congressional candidates all over the country. Democrats have also taken advantage of 527s, and two liberal groups were fined today: MoveOn and the League of Conservation Voters.

If the FEC were to really crack down on this sort of thing (the 527 loophole has been an open secret for a number of years), as they've idly been threatening to do, then 2008 would be a remarkably different election than the past two cycles.

[whometense]

1. deeee-lightful

Wonder how much play this story will get in the media??? Any bets?

[Blaukraut]

2. a good start

Ideally, that whole outfit out to be disbanded and its members charged with election interference.

[MBS]

3. very satisfying : )

may this be just the first step in a realignment of the political universe

[Democrafty]

4. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch. n/t

[wisteria]

5. They got what they had coming to them. Not enough, but maybe more

retribution is on the way.

[ProSense]

6. Excellent!

Lying sewer rats deserve it!

[TayTay]

8. I agree.

This is karma.

[mloutre]

7. ProSense is right (as usual)

Those pesky rats really needed to get bounced.

[demdiva]

9. Dang. This has to go in GDP! (and might I suggest dKos) nt

[demdiva]

10. ohhh they got the League of Conservation voters and MoveOn too though EDITED

edited with a list of who actually responded

What do you notice???

Swiftboat Veterans and POWs for Truth

(a) Swift Boat Vets and POWs for Truth <5511 & 5525>

(b) Bush-Cheney ’04, Inc., David Herndon, treasurer <5525>

(c) Alachua County Republican Party <5525>

(d) Republican National Committee, Mike Retzner, treasurer <5525>

(e) George W. Bush <5525>

(f) Dick Cheney <5525>

(g) Karl Rove <5525>

(h) Kenneth Cordier <5525>

(i) Harlan Crow <5525>

(j) William Franke <5525>

(k) Roy Hoffman <5525>

(l) Alvin Horne <5525>

(m) Bill Lannom <5525>

(n) John O’Neil <5525>

(o) Bob Perry <5525>

(p) Charles Plumly <5525>

(q) Weymouth Symmes <5511> <5525>

(r) Merrie Spaeth <5525>

(s) Alachua Bush/Cheney Committee


League of Conservation Voters
(a) League of Conservation Voters 527

(b) League of Conservation Voters 527 II

MoveOn.org
(a) MoveOn.org Voter Fund (MOVF)

(b) MoveOn PAC

(c) MoveOn.org

[ginnyinWI]

11. But here's the problem:

They'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. They probably consider it money well spent, to prevent a Kerry presidency. Instead of 300k, they should have been hit with a big enough fine to put them all into bankruptcy!

[_dynamicdems]

12. Sounds good to me. n/t