WASHINGTON MEMO
Judge Orders F.E.C. to Investigate Bribery
Allegations Against Ron Brown
Related Article
Investigation of Ron Brown Leads to Other Indictments (March 14)
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has ordered the Federal
Election Commission to investigate whether the late commerce
secretary, Ron Brown, sold seats on foreign trade missions in exchange for
campaign contributions.
Judge Stanley Sporkin of U.S. District Court in Washington issued the
order this week, overturning the commission's decision not to pursue bribery
allegations that had been made by Judicial Watch, a conservative
organization. At the time, commission officials decided that the Judicial
Watch complaint did not have enough merit for the commission to expend
its limited resources on it.
Sporkin's ruling did not address whether the Judicial Watch complaint had
merit. Instead, he said that the commission, with three Democrats and two
Republicans, erred when it voted 5-0 to dismiss the complaint because it felt
the group lacked legal standing.
"The FEC had before it serious allegations backed up with documentation
and sworn testimony," Sporkin wrote in a decision that was issued on
Monday. "At the very least, the FEC should have given the plaintiff's
complaint careful consideration."
Larry Klayman, chairman of Judicial Watch, said he was buoyed by
Sporkin's decision. "It was a very strong decision that holds the
government's feet to the fire and says it has to do its job," he said. "It's
another example of how the courts are really the only branch of government
doing its job to make sure that corruption in government is being
addressed."
Commission officials said Friday they have not decided whether to appeal
Sporkin's decision.
Unless the commission successfully fights the ruling, the decision is a clear
victory for Judicial Watch, a public interest law firm that has relentlessly
pursued allegations of wrongdoing by Brown. Even so, it is unclear whether
the decision, if appealed and upheld, will lead to anything.
Two Republican-controlled congressional committees have looked into
allegations that the Commerce Department under Brown guaranteed spots
to particular businesses on trade missions in exchange for donations of
$100,000 to the Democratic National Committee. So far, neither of the
committees have turned up any solid proof of the veracity of the
accusations.
"As far as Klayman's complaint is concerned, the DNC feels it's completely
baseless," said Rick Harris, a spokesman for the Democratic National
Committee. "If the FEC decides to appeal Judge Sporkin's decision, we
expect it will be overturned."
In a telephone interview Friday, Klayman said the congressional committees
have turn up so little because many of the companies that allegedly bought
seats on trade missions have also donated to Republicans. "Republicans
don't want to enmesh their own donors in an investigation, so it has been
effectively covered up by both parties," Klayman said.
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