The Federal Election Commission is demanding that a political organization with ties to Karl Rove that came under attack by Democrats during the 2010 election release the names of certain donors.
But the group, Crossroads GPS, said the FEC request is routine and doesn’t apply to them because none of their donors fall under a special classification where disclosure is required.
“They’re looking for donors who earmark contributions and Crossroads GPS doesn’t solicit that way,” Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for Crossroads, told TheDC.
The National Journal first reported that the FEC sent two letters Tuesday asking the 501(c)4 to report the names of any donors whose contributions were earmarked for a specific political purpose.
Crossroads GPS was repeatedly attacked by President Obama last year as it spent millions on Republican causes without having to report its donors under federal law. Democrats are working on developing a similar organization for the 2012 election.
In the letter from the FEC, Crossroads is instructed to provide this information by July 19.
“Crossroads GPS will provide an adequate response in the appropriate time, saying essentially that its reports were full and complete, and that there are no donors to report because no contributions were earmarked for any particular electioneering communication or independent expenditure,” Collegio said.
Groups like Crossroads GPS were formed after the Citizens United Supreme Court case, which allowed independent groups to spend money with looser restrictions. Liberals have used the group to suggest the system should be changed to require groups like Crossroads to disclose all donors.
Conservatives say their motives are political.
“The current disclosure system works,” said David Bossie, who leads the group Citizens United. “Liberals in Congress and on the FEC are fighting to change that disclosure system in order to discourage political speech.”
