Bush, GOP accuse Kerry campaign of funneling `soft money' into election
By Sharon Theimer, Associated Press, 3/31/2004 13:25
boston.com
WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush's campaign and the GOP on Wednesday accused the campaign of Democrat John Kerry of illegally coordinating political ads and get-out-the-vote activities with anti-Bush groups and donors including billionaire George Soros.
The Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee said they would file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Kerry and pro-Kerry groups of violating a campaign law that broadly bans the use of ''soft money'' corporate, union and unlimited individual donations to influence federal elections.
In a highly unusual move, the Bush campaign and RNC plan to ask the FEC to dismiss the complaint immediately so they can file a federal lawsuit to block the activities and force the groups to pay for presidential ads and get-out-the-vote drives with limited donations from individuals rather than soft money. Usually complainants pursue FEC action before going to court, but it can take months or even years for the commission to resolve complaints.
The Bush campaign and the GOP say pro-Kerry groups are illegally spending soft money in the presidential race, and that Kerry's campaign is illegally coordinating that spending. The groups have contended they are operating legally.
''They're making a mockery of what the rules are,'' Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot said.
Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter accused Republicans of political gamesmanship.
''We take the law very seriously. Republicans can't stand the fact the American people want change, so now they are playing politics with the law,'' Cutter said.
The complaint names two groups, MoveOn.org and the Media Fund, that have been running ads in March criticizing Bush in several battleground states. Kerry, too, has been airing ads in key states, but on a much smaller scale.
The GOP cited at least three factors it says prove coordination: links between people involved in some of the soft money groups and the Kerry campaign during the same election cycle; the timing of media buys in the same states and media markets; and TV stations receiving a Media Fund ad on Kerry's economic plan before Kerry publicly released the economic plan.
''I'd call it slanderous nonsense the typical Republican politics of intimidation,'' said Media Fund spokesman Jim Jordan, a former Kerry campaign manager who is among those named in the complaint. He said the Media Fund ad on Kerry's economic positions mentioned only what Kerry has been saying publicly for months.
Wes Boyd, president of MoveOn, said in a statement: ''We do not coordinate with the Kerry campaign. These charges are baseless and irresponsible.''
Those named in the complaint include the pro-Democratic groups America Coming Together, America Votes, Voices for Working Families and Moving America Forward; billionaire businessman Soros, who has pledged millions of dollars to anti-Bush soft money efforts, and other major donors; and leaders of the groups, including New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, a founder of Moving America Forward.
Spokespeople for Richardson and Soros did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The coordination complaint is the second complaint the Bush campaign has filed against the groups. The campaign in early March asked the FEC to investigate soft money spending by the Media Fund on anti-Bush ads. The Media Fund, using large individual donations to fund its ads, argues its activities are legal.
The Republican complaints come as the commission considers placing broad new limits on soft money spending by tax-exempt political groups.
Its decision could have the greatest short-term effect on Democrats, whose party depended more heavily on soft money than the GOP did before the law banned national party committees from collecting it.
Associated Press Writer Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report. |
