Posted on 03/19/2002 1:49:01 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Federal election officials on Tuesday rejected complaints against two Republican committees that promised donors access to Bush administration officials. Judicial Watch contended that the GOP's House and Senate fund-raising committees illegally sold access to public officials, and that they should have disclosed visits they arranged for donors with officeholders.
Judicial Watch, a conservative Washington-based legal group, has filed multiple lawsuits alleging wrongdoing in the Clinton and Bush administrations.
The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously to dismiss the complaints.
It said the Justice Department has jurisdiction over the criminal issues raised, and noted a Justice letter stating the facts provided did not suggest violations of the law. The FEC, which oversees campaign finance reports, also rejected Judicial Watch's argument that the committees should have reported on such reports the access they provided to donors.
The watchdog group's complaint against House Majority Whip Tom Delay, R-Texas, and the National Republican Congressional Committee targeted phone calls last year in which the recorded voice of DeLay promises those giving enough to join the NRCC's Business Advisory Council invitations to meet with top Bush administration officials.
The complaint against the National Republican Senatorial Committee described a "White House Briefing Series" last spring. Those who donated enough to join the NRSC "Inner Circle" were told they could meet with Cabinet officials, senators and diplomats.
Judicial Watch contended the committees should have put a dollar value on the meetings and reported each to the FEC as an "offset" to the donor's contribution, as they do with refunded donations.
The FEC said that even if such access had a dollar value, it could not be considered an offset or valued differently than food or entertainment at committee events. In addition, treating access as an offset reducing a donor's contribution could render donation limits meaningless, it said.
Klayman and his cohorts are a bunch of ambulance chasers!
In my small town experience, the Lincoln Day Dinner speaker was likely to be the mayor or a state rep, sometimes a congressman or congressional candidate. (Ronald Reagan came in the late 70's and Bob Dole came a few years later; 25 years later people still show off the photos.) Bigger cities get bigger draws. A national meeting where people fly into D.C. at $1,000 or more a pop will get you several congressmen making guest appearances, including perhaps a couple of leadership figures.
Again, there's nothing wrong with this, unless you think direct mail and telephone solicitations are the only way the parties should be allowed to raise money. Or do you favor public financing?
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