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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (756141)	12/14/2006 1:56:37 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769670

US poll campaign groups fined By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington Financial Times Updated: 1:42 p.m. ET Dec 14, 2006 Two of the most influential committees during the 2004 presidential election, Swift Boat Veterans and MoveOn.org, on Wednesday paid fines totalling $450,000 after being accused of violating federal campaign finance laws. The Federal Election Commission, which regulates the funding of political campaigns, said it reached a settlement with the two groups, along with the League of Conservation Voters, following allegations that the groups failed to register and file disclosure reports as federal political committees, and accepted contributions in violation of federal limits. Outgoing FEC chairman Michael Toner said the settlements would provide important guidance to organizations that must register and report as political committees. Both Swift Boat Veterans, which attacked Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee in 2004, on his record in the war in Vietnam, and MoveOn, the liberal grassroots group, are registered as 527 organizations: groups that can raise unlimited funds for the purpose of influencing elections, but not expressly advocating candidates. The FEC said, in contradiction of the rules, that MoveOn had funded television advertisements targeted to presidential battleground states in their aim to defeat President George W Bush, and that the Swift Boat Veterans had sent out direct mail attacking Mr Kerry. One campaign finance expert said the news on Wednesday would heighten concerns about the flow of funds to 527 organizations in federal campaigns, though the organisations could still be influential in state races. The expert added that individuals who finance 527s would likely now donate to another lightly regulated type of organisation known as C4's, or non-profit issue advocacy organisations. Gerald Hebert, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, and Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21, campaign finance watchdogs, said the settlements were a case of "too little, too late" and that the cases did not provide the public with clear standards. "In the Swift Boat case, the FEC has imposed a fine of less than $300,000 on a group which raised more than $25m, illegally spent almost $20m on TV ads...and had a major impact on the 2004 presidential election," they said in a statement. The Swift Boat group was ordered to pay $$299,500, MoveOn will pay $150,000, and Conservation Voters will pay $180,000. © The Financial Times Ltd 2006. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. URL: msnbc.msn.com