NRCC Faces Fine

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/49_108/news/5144-1.html (subscription required)

After more than four years of legal wrangling, the National Republican Congressional Committee has agreed to a $280,000 fine for improperly using soft money to pay for issue ads run by an organization controlled by former aides to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas).

The NRCC transferred $500,000 in soft money to the U.S. Family Network in October 1999. USFN had ties to Ed Buckham, DeLay’s former chief of staff.

The U.S. Family Network then gave $300,000 to Americans for Economic Growth. Jim Ellis, who currently oversees DeLay’s leadership PAC — Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC) — was affiliated with AEG at the time.

According to the FEC, Ellis had already agreed to run radio ads bashing Democrats for raiding Social Security to pay for other federal programs. AEG also ran ads bolstering several vulnerable House Republicans. AEG spent $260,000 overall on the two sets of ads.

[WillParkinson]

1. Oh, big deal!

So they pay 260,000 dollars. Do you REALLY think that hurts them at all knowing that they can now make so much more by passing laws that give them breaks and give their contributors more money to pass along?

[bahrbearian]

2. Ya, once they steal the elections there is nothing stopping them

from Looting the Treasury.

[central scrutinizer]

3. just write it off

in the column "Cost of doing business". The Exterminator is probably shaking somebody down right now.