Cheaterman (Lieberman) Campaign Caught Breaking Slush Fund Laws

[deminks]

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/11/2/111537/253

A cornerstone of the modern campaign finance system is disclosure. Everyone agrees on disclosure, from conservative Republicans to liberal Democrats. Old industrial political machines used to simply pay cash for votes, and this kind of corruption weakened democracy and allowed evil government activities to flourish. Joe knows this, he was the Attorney General of Connecticut. So the low simmering scandal - Joe Lieberman's failure to disclose $387,000 funneled through the petty cash account in campaign spending during the primary - is odd. That's almost a tenth of what he spent in the primary, and he's been hanging his hat onto the fact that the petty cash journal can be kept private.

Until today, it looked like he was going to keep the matter seedy but quiet. Thanks to some good reporting, though, it looks like Lieberman's $387,000 slush fund is both illegal and that he's been lying about where the money went. Mary E. O'Leary in the New Haven Register has the story. What happened on the Lieberman campaign is both illegal and weirdly incompetent.

Political committees may make expenditures of not more than $100 to any person or for a transaction out of the petty cash fund and are required to keep a written journal documenting the payments.

But interviews with some of the people who were brought in to help get out the vote for the campaign in the two weeks before the hotly contested Aug. 8 primary described situations that appear to be at odds with some campaign finance requirements.

[goclark]

1. Kick

[tanyev]

2. It's OK. Those laws don't apply to Republicans.

[stepnw1f]

3. Lieberman you Crook!

What other deals did you make? How about that Dick Cheney's "Energy Policy", which currently is bilking every American in this country?

[Robbien]

4. But it was in the news at the time that Liberman was paying

his out of state GOTV people. He brought in several hundred and paid them a couple of hundred a day.

He paid them out of petty cash AND he did not keep records?

Joe knows better. Or at least should.

[napi21]

5. So, is this in the Ct. newspapers and on TV there?

If not, it damn well SHOULD BE! Ned's campaign should be able to get it published!

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

7. It was in today's New Haven Register

They have been covering the story - but they endorsed LIEberman



http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17410021&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=332704&rfi=6


edited to add link to NH Register story

[GardeningGal]

6. Tried to send this to Olbermann, but couldn't get the address.

It's a computer issue - does anyone have his e-mail address?

[cui bono]

8. [e-mail]

[cui bono]

9. What about labor laws? Does he have to pay into SSI and such to hire

people like this? Have them fill out W4(?) forms and such? Did he hire any illegal immigranst and where does he stand on that issue?

Just curious. Would love to nail him on more...

[deminks]

10. Kicking for the night, and wondering why no one is touching this story

nationally.

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?&p=lieberman+slush&ei=UTF-8&fr=

[AzDar]

11. Kick n/t