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Service Employees International Union's political committee and three New York City union groups have agreed to pay $262,000 in penalties for campaign finance violations, including improper record-keeping. The civil penalties, announced Wednesday by the Federal Election Commission, involve violations from 1998 to 2000. SEIU's political campaign committee, known as COPE, paid $75,000 in penalties last December. Under an agreement reached with the FEC last month, New York's Health and Human Service Union 1199, Local 1199 Federal Political Action Fund and 1199 SEIU Federal Political Action Fund shared an additional $187,000 in fines. Among the violations, the FEC found that in...

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark's campaign said Wednesday night that he will return payments he has received for speeches since declaring his candidacy and will no longer speak for money. Clark spokesman Mark Fabiani issued a statement that said Clark's advisers reviewed federal guidelines and determined that his paid speeches were appropriate. "Nevertheless, to avoid any distraction from the real issues that matter to Americans, General Clark has decided to return the payments from these speeches," the statement said. Kym Spell, a Clark spokeswoman, said she did not know how much money was involved. CSpell said she did...

NEVER FORGET 1) BustaMECHhA gets caught transferring over $2 Million in illegal Indian Gaming Money Contributions to his 2002 Campaign War Chest for his own use in the Oct. 7th California Recall Election in order to beat the Law. 2) BustaMEChA then states that this $2 Million in Indian Gaming Money Contributions he received will only be used to advertise a 'No Vote on Proposition 54' which, if passed, would eliminate the taking down of an individual's information by Race in California. 3) BustaMEChA's 2 new TV Commercials start running today showing ..BustaMEChA himself.. campaigning for himself and then ..BustaMEChA...