Soft Money Groups Cleared of Allegations

[Freddie Stubbs]

By SHARON THEIMER
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 25, 2004; 2:27 PM


WASHINGTON - Federal officials have dismissed a complaint accusing party leaders and several partisan interest groups of conspiring to evade a ban on corporate and union election contributions.

It is the second time the Federal Election Commission has rejected allegations that interest groups were formed by party leaders to continue collecting the big checks after a law barred the national party committees from collecting such "soft money" themselves. The law, which took effect in November 2002, also broadly bans the use of soft money in federal elections.

In a vote taken earlier this month and announced Wednesday, the FEC decided there was no reason to believe the law was broken. It voted 5-1 to dismiss the matter, with only Republican Commissioner Michael Toner opposing the move.

Those named in the inquiry included the Democratic Issues Agenda, Americans for a Republican Majority, the Democratic Senate Majority Fund, the PAC for a Democratic House, and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, among others.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5640-2004Feb25.html