FEC Fines Swift Boat Vets $300K

[TomInTib]

Is the era of the millionaire-backed attack group coming to an end?

The Federal Election Commission hit the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth with a $299,500 fine today for playing too fast with election rules. The Swift Boat Vets were a "527" organization, which has no limits on contributions, but were acting like federal political committees, the FEC charged. 527s are allowed to work for or against certain candidates, but if they have no other "major purpose," according to FEC spokesman Bob Biersack, then they should register as a committee.

That's a huge difference. Committees can only accept $5,000 in contributions per person per year. The Swift Boat Vets, by comparison, accepted $4.4 million from GOP money man Bob Perry in 2004. Perry played the same trick in this year's election, throwing $9 million at three different 527 attack groups, which used it to target dozens of Democratic congressional candidates all over the country. Democrats have also taken advantage of 527s, and two liberal groups were fined today: MoveOn and the League of Conservation Voters.

If the FEC were to really crack down on this sort of thing (the 527 loophole has been an open secret for a number of years), as they've idly been threatening to do, then 2008 would be a remarkably different election than the past two cycles.

and they even threw in a pic of Bobby Jack ass-wipe Perry..


http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002141.php

[aquart]

1. No, it's not coming to an end. Not unless the fine is a million.

This is pocket change to Mellon Scaife.

[northzax]

2. so the group disbands

and never pays, whatever...

[gratuitous]

3. That's my thought

Coming in 2008, "Swift Boat Vegetarians for Truth."

[Monkeyman]

4. Swiftboat Veterans have not disband they are using the name

Veterans For Freedom

[jgraz]

5. To which I say

[lpbk2713]

6. Care to bet they will not pay a dime and drag it out until January 2009?

And then AWOL Monkey-Boy will discretely excuse them and grant freedom from prosecution.


After all, a deal's a deal.