Sharpton's finances: Campaign can't have a lower standard

[Freddie Stubbs]

The Rev. Al Sharpton had the good taste to stay at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, one of America's finest hotels, when he stopped in town for the Dallas Black Expo. The only problem was he then presented his campaign with a one-night hotel bill of $3,264.11, which covered Mr. Sharpton, a top official of his National Action Network and the candidate's personal filmmaker.

That's just one of the more interesting facts to emerge from a review of the candidate's most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission by The New York Times, which the newspaper described as including a number of "oversights, errors and potential violations" of campaign finance laws. Mr. Sharpton doesn't even bother to dispute them. He claims an exemption from the rules because his heart's in the right place, saying that activists ought to be given a break.

Ah, yes, that's the Al Sharpton known to New Yorkers, who have observed Mr. Sharpton's flamboyant career over the years. Financial shenanigans are par for the course with the minister, who has long been dogged by accounting irregularities. The temptation is to laugh Mr. Sharpton's peccadilloes off because few people take his candidacy seriously. His opponents no doubt reason that taking on the dubious legality of his campaign financing is more trouble than it's worth.

To be blunt, no white Democrat wants to have to defend himself from a groundless Sharpton charge of racism amid primaries in which the black vote is a big factor. Mr. Sharpton's campaign finances are important, though, because he is using money raised to apply for matching federal funds.

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