Elections

Dems Allegedly Broke FEC Laws In Down-Ticket Ad Campaigns

REUTERS/Larry Downing

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Phillip Stucky Political Reporter
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The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) alleges that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee broke campaign finance law, according to a Tuesday report from Politico.

The official complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by FACT asserts that Democrats and candidates coordinated spending for entire ad buys, exceeding the $48,000 limit on such spending for each candidate.

Democrats traditionally get around such spending limits by creating “hybrid” ads that don’t specifically mention candidates or parties. The DCCC is flaunting those rules by directly mentioning the candidate as well as the Democratic Party in key ads that are coordinated with campaign officials, according to the complaint.

“This is a clear violation,” FACT executive director Matt Whitaker told Politico.

“Knowing full well the damage Donald Trump is causing to their poll numbers, House Republicans are desperately grasping at any opportunity to hide their support for him and his dangerous agenda — even resorting to frivolous complaints and meritless legal action,” DCCC spokeswoman Meredith Kelly told Politico.

“Sadly for them, it’s too late to paper over their long and steady support for the unfit and unhinged Donald Trump.”

Doug Applegate, Democratic challenger to Rep. Darrell Issa, is specifically named in the complaint. The advertisement in question, title, “Darrell Issa’s Lined Pockets,” states that it was “Paid for by DCCC and Applegate for Congress,” FACT asserts. There are several other ads that were apparently coordinated between the DCCC and the Applegate campaign.

“These (ads) raise very tricky questions” Larry Noble, a former FEC general counsel now at the Campaign Legal Center told Politico. “It shows how parties are constantly looking for new ways to get around various limits, in this case the coordinated expenditure limit.”

The DCCC made no comment on the matter, but previously told Politico that such ads are generally seen in Democratic circles of being “half and half,” the campaign pays for the half against Issa, and the party pays for the half of the ad that attacks Trump.

Dictionary.com defines “coordinated” as “to act in harmonious combination.” 

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