Democrats Seek FEC Investigation of McCain Financing
WASHINGTON — The national Democratic party wants campaign finance regulators to investigate whether Sen. John McCain would violate money-in-politics laws by withdrawing from the primary election’s public finance system, filing an official complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission.
McCain, who had been entitled to $5.8 million in federal funds for the primary, has decided to bypass the system so he can avoid spending limits between now and the GOP’s national convention in September.
Click here to read the full complaint from the Democratic National Committee (.pdf).
FEC Chairman David Mason notified McCain last week that he can only withdraw from public financing if he answers questions about a campaign loan and obtains approval from four members of the six-member commission. Such approval is doubtful in the short term because the commission has four vacancies and cannot convene a quorum.
“John McCain poses as a reformer but seems to think reforms apply to everyone but him,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Sunday.
Part of the issue centers on a loan McCain obtained late last year. The loan was not directly secured by McCain’s potential access to public funds. But his agreement with the bank required him to reapply for public funds if he lost early primary contests and to use that money as collateral.
McCain’s lawyer, former FEC Chairman Trevor Potter, has said McCain did not encumber any money that he would have received from the federal treasury.
McCain and Potter have said he was entitled to withdraw without FEC approval and have cited as examples Dean and Democrat Dick Gephardt, both of whom withdrew from public financing during the 2004 presidential primary.
“Howard Dean’s hypocrisy is breathtaking, given that in 2003 he withdrew from the matching funds system in exactly the same way John McCain is doing today,” McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said Sunday.
DNC spokeswoman Stacie Paxton said Dean, unlike McCain, took out no loan that raised questions about his use of potential public funds.
If McCain were prohibited from withdrawing from public financing, he would be severely limited in his campaign spending for the next six months. Under campaign finance rules, he would be allowed to spend only $54 million; as of the end of January, his campaign had already spent nearly $50 million.
McCain is going to be our next President!!!!
Huckabee needs to take a chill pill and quit wasting people’s money he is getting nowhere~!!!!!!!!!
Thats what you get for attacking the Bill of Rights, McCain
As I Watch the News, from the various channels and Alphabet soup of Names,
There is a Glaring Discrepancy for the Fair and Balanced Viewpoint.
The Polarization that ensures, they Espouse the, Point of View expressed,
By the Media Pundits, are their own whether, By the Left Wing Party
Or the Right Wing, are in such disproportions it boggles the mind.
The supposition that they are only Reporting, Is as Ludicrous as The re-definition
Of the Word “IS” IS! And their Reporting, is so Bi-ass’d as to show their political
Diversity? I have seen Nothing, to Tell me they are Fair nor Balanced.
That sometimes, Includes Fox News.
However, that being said, I watched HaNnity’s Program “The Price We Pay”
on the Border Crisis! I am Incensed and appalled by;
The Lack of this congress and senate to address this issue, with the failed and
Broken system they have been responsible for. And done nothing for the states that
Have repeatedly, REQUESTED AID TO FIX THIS.
THE BORDER FENCE WAS PASSED AND FUNDED, YET IT IS STILL NOT BEING DELT WITH.
And STILL, with no response from congress AND not the senate EITHER, to remedy this!
AGAIN, Our Citizens are being Kidnapped, our border Agents Killed by the Drug Cartels
And The Mexican Government abets and enables their open hostilities against America!
When are the American people going to wake up? When we have to Arm Ourselves
In accordance with, the second amendment, Just to Protect our hearth and kin?
Never mind the border? There is a Real and Present Danger on our Broken Border!
THE CONGRESS AND SENATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY;
ARE NOT ONLY THE “CUT AND RUN” BUT THE “GET NOTHING DONE”
BACKFLIPS AND BACKSTABBING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WHILE THE BORDERS
ARE OVERRUN WITH DRUGS AND ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND TREASON BY ANY LIGHT
OF THEIR OATH TO PROTECT THE U.S.A AND THE RIGHTS OF IT’S; CITIZENS!
“NOT THE ILLEGAL” INVADERS, WHO DEMAND FREE EVERYTHING, WHILE;
TRUE AMERICANS ARE DENIED ANYTHING RESEMBLING JUSTICE!
There Are Repercussions to the Politicians and the State and Local Officials,
Who WILL NOT Protect the American People, in Preference; for the
“Illegal Alien Invasion of America!”
Lou Dobbs and Hannity are right, The Left Wing, Soros, and Move-On are so embedded
with the Democratic Party, and The Open Borders and Nafta/Cafta trade Policies that
they will Not Do anything to Upset the: “FAR LEFT WING”
And Donors TO: “THEIR CAMPAIGN COFFERS!”
Follow the MONEY, Whether, it is “Politics or the Drug Cartel’s!”
In this election year, is There A Dimes worth of Difference?
Although this a clear attempt by the DNC to throw a ‘monkey wrench’ into John McCain’s campaign it will, undoubtedly, fail for its glaring transparency.
Having said that, it is beyond ironic that John is getting bit in the ass by the very worthless law that he and Sen. Feingold pushed down the nation’s throat a few years back.
Hopefully this incident will wake him up to the evil that stifling law has placed on the election system.
Okay, I’m not a lawyer, or even a Republican (I’m an Independent), but I read the complaint that John (the screamer) Dean and the DNC filed with the FEC. Pretty weak. First, the original note and loan papers specifically specified that public funds or the prospect of obtaining public funds were not being used as collateral for the loan. This is in the papers at least twice, and maybe more time. Secondly, papers filed later state that if there is a conflict about the terms of the loan and note, and the modifications that came later, the terms of the original note and loan would apply. So much for the claim that public funds were used to secure the note. Looks to me like the DNC is suddenly getting desperate. Like someone woke up and realized that this election isn’t in the bag like they thought it would be. Especially with the two front runners on the Democrat side are trying to cause the party to self destruct. And now I wonder which side is really responsible for holding up the naming of 4 new members of the FEC so they could at least form a quarum to consider things like this. Hmmmmmm.
Well Vince your still here how you doin
Hi Vince they left your name and email for me to use Thanks