"McCain - Palin Compliance Fund"? What is it?

[drm604]

On another website I saw a banner ad for the McCain - Palin "Compliance Fund". I clicked on it and got a page which says this:

Contributions to McCain-Palin Compliance Fund ("Compliance Fund") are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income-tax purposes. *Federal law requires us to report the name, address, occupation, and employer of any contributor who gives more than $200 in an election cycle. An individual may contribute up to $2,300, a couple may contribute up to $4,600, and a federal multi-candidate PAC may contribute up to $5,000 to the Compliance Fund. Contributions to the Compliance Fund will be used solely for legal and accounting services to ensure compliance with federal law, including a portion of the cost of broadcast advertising, campaign offices, and computer/website expenses. Federal law prohibits the Compliance Fund contributions from being used for a candidate's election. Contributions from corporations, unions, government contractors, national banks, and foreign nationals without permanent residency status are prohibited.

This sounds to me like it could be a loophole to get around his being bound to public financing.

I understand its supposed purpose, but how well regulated is it and how easily can it be abused? How is it determined what portion of broadcast advertising it can be used for?

[rucky]

1. Elections "law" is a joke.

it poops on democracy.

[C_U_L8R]

2. It's a way McCain circumvents the very law that McCain wrote

It's like watching a snake eating it's tail.. sooner or later there's no more snake. Poof.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Good catch.

[Chan790]

4. A compliance fund

is a fund for contesting an election result usually and for conducting federal law compliance concerns separate from the election work of the campaign. An example: You use elections funds to buy ad time, you'd use compliance funds to insure (possibly through litigation) that you had equal access to the best ad slots. You'd also use compliance funds to mount challenges to voter registrations (bad address, felony conviction, etc.). You'd use it to pay the accountant and your FEC reporting staff. One does not typically need a large compliance fund.

Strange that rather than posting ads exclusively to raise funds for the RNC they'd do this...unless they expect to lose and to need a lot of money for recounts and lawyers to steal it.

[drm604]

5. If you're correct that it can be use to mount voter challenges

then that could be what they're using if for. But I'm a little skeptical that it can be used for that. I thought that it could only be used to ensure campaign compliance - not voter compliance. Do you have a cite for that?

My concern is that it's possible that they could cook the books and use this money for direct campaign purposes. They're certainly not above it, and they've already committed all kinds of crimes so they have nothing to lose by committing one more and everything to gain if they can pull off another "win".