FEC hits group with hefty fine

Posted: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:19 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Democrats

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
America Coming Together, a political action committee credited with doing much of the grassroots organization and get-out-the-vote efforts for Democrats in 2004, was hit with a $775,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for violating federal election law during the 2004 campaign election cycle.

The FEC leveled its third-largest fine in history against George Soros-backed ACT, “a federal political action committee (PAC) that also has a non-federal account registered under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, agreed to pay $775,000 to settle charges that it used funds raised outside federal limits and source prohibitions to pay for expenses that should have been paid with funds raised within the federal contribution limits and prohibitions,” according to the FEC’s Web site.

Also, the FEC “uncovered no evidence of coordination between” ACT and the Democratic National Committee, 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry.

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Comments

No problem Soros has it covered he has more money than Mitt or is that GOD Mitt?

HOT DAM (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:27 PM)

fresh meat jerry

nuanced (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:38 PM)

Speaking of money, did you hear about Hillery's Chinese connections in SanFrancisco??
Appearently MSNBC didn't!! It's not reported anywhere, but 'first read'. Did not see it on the front page. Was not in the 'US News' or 'Politics' pulldown menus. Looks to be swept under the rug. Now if this had been McCain, Gulliani, of Thompson do you think it would have been frontpage?? I do.
Now there's impartiality for you...

RH Oregon (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:39 PM)

Chuck/Mark, Why do you keep adding new threads, if you can't update the ones already out there? Just asking.

Contributor (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:46 PM)

Great. Something I have been observing for nearly three years and the MSM finally gets around to it. Of course, my observations in those days were dismissed as ''rightwinged noise''. Apparently the FEC observed that it went far beyond that. The rights DeLay is now the liberals George Soros.

Lee Holmes (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:48 PM)

One final note with an '08 twist: guess who joined ACT in May 2004 as its Chief of Staff and then took over as President of the Organization in February 2005? Harold Ickes. Yes, the same Harold Ickes who was Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff and rejoined Hillary Clinton's campaign as "Adviser to the Campaign Manager" in April.

Surprise, surprise, surprise

Gohillary, NY (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:49 PM)

Gee, it's funny that they fine ACT but not the Swift Boat Veterans ....

Alberto, did you choose the FEC members ??
You've done a great job !!

Sierra, SF (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:51 PM)

I went to the FEC web site with the assumption that the FEC probably legitimately got ACT but was probably doing selective enforcement. I read the complaint and I think it is a murky call if not a bum call. The funds must be used for get out the vote and voter registration drives without supporting a "clearly identifiable" federal candidate. The material quoted as evidence all asked voters to "vote progressive" and did not name John Kerry. I would have thought "clearly identify" implied a higher bar. By the way, Soros is not mentioned at all.

nuanced (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 2:53 PM)

hmmmm, what about those religous leaders who endorse canidates? their churches need to be added to the tax roles!

as a matter of fairness, lets add all churches to the tax roles.

Tuck,btown,Kansas (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:06 PM)

Concensus.. Ha. My bad. We're a long way from there.

I got the numbers from a Fox.com video today. Search there video file. Yah I know it's Fox, but none of them are impartial.

47,000,000 uninsured people.
45% not American citizens (-21,150,000)
8.5% income exceeding $75,000 (-4,000,000)
30% age 18-24, (-10,000,000) 30% is 14,100,000 but because this age group is also partially included in the Non-citizen group I used 10 million.

By 'truly uninsured' I do mean those people who our system is leaving behind and/or neglecting. I do not advocate that our current healthcare system is perfect or should be ignored. I made a statement, using numbers as I heard them, on the reporting of uninsured people. The cries for universal coverage should not use numbers for non-citizens. Period. At a minimum remove that 45% from equation.
And Carrie, of course the 18-24 year olds count and should have insurance. I was trying to whittle it down to the 'cronic'(also not the right word) uninsured.
And Robert in Salem. Not real sure why you would throw Ron Mabon into the mix. He is a hatemonger of the most rightous ilk, most Oregonians wish he'd shut the hell up or move.

RH Oregon (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:30 PM)

Soro's fined $775,000? Drop in the bucket for that guy. He'll just have to foreclose and resell a few dozen shakey subprime loan properties he owns in some minority areas to make it up. Shouldn't take more then a day or two. Just a part of doing business. No need to pass the hat around for Georgey.

Micha Reed, Bronx, NY (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:31 PM)

let me guess another dept in our goverment corruptted by politics just like the Justice Dept,why didnt they get in on bashing the dems ohh thats right that was what the fired attorneys got fired for not bringing election fraud cases so Karl roves math could work out and the repucks could retain the senate.What is good for the goose is good for the gander and if you guys dont watch out I am going to start arguing that 2 wrongs make a right.

kenn"what end is up in the repuck party" (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:32 PM)

um no. Tom delay is pure evil, he will commit crimes against humanity to acheive personal and political power and greed.
Soros has none of that. hes already got more money than he knows waht to do with. Hes just trying to find ways to combat the illegal dealings of the GOP to push an agenda to help people that need help instead of continuing to help the rich get richer and poor go down the drain.

Ricky Devos (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:35 PM)

RH go to the first page and scroll down keep going there you go, idiot its under the story the next huu drops,sorry speaking with out facts will only get you thrown onto the heap of dung you belong on.

kenn:the Quicker picker upper"O (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:35 PM)

I'm SURE the FEC hasn't been politicized by the Fourth Reich - it's not the Justice Department, after all. (DeLay was in Congress - Soros isn't. Slight difference, but far too subtle for the right wing.)

Jamie in TN (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:37 PM)

Micha you sound like anti capitalist are you sure your not a communist are you? sounds like you want everyone to quit the stock market and share the wealth were you being sacastic because a republican wouldnt care what a capitalist is doing see:regulation:You should be for soros making as much as he can if your a good free market repucker so your problem with soros is he is a democrat not a rich guy who takes advantage of everything to make money PICK A SIDE.

Kenn"He is bad for making money I forgot its Ilegal"O (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:40 PM)

HOTDAM, that's Elder Mitt. RH in Oregon, Lon Mabon, if you will recall, once said in his opposition to the OHP, all we'll end up helping is those on welfare who have too many babies." I think that's insurance related.

Robert Catalano, Salem, OR (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 4:51 PM)

I'm with you Tuck, tuck it to the churches and the
private colleges. Tax havens.
All those tax free churches..let the homeless sleep there at night. They stand empty most of the time, waste!

H P Boston (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 5:08 PM)

I said "MSNBC didn't!! It's not reported anywhere, but 'first read'. Did not see it on the front page. Was not in the 'US News' or 'Politics' pulldown menus."
Kenn did you notice the "but on first read". Sober up. This should be front page, except for the liberal bias of this website. So tuck your "idiots, & dungheaps" away, and read something besides the label on your scotch.

RH Oregon (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 8:50 PM)

Sorry Robert your Lon Mabon comment earlier was a bit obtuse. Sounded like you were putting me in his court.
Since you mentioned the Oregon Health Plan, what would the democrats 'universal healthcare' do to our OHP. It seems to be working or at least under the radar, I have not heard many things good or bad lately about it.

RH Oregon (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 8:56 PM)

HP Boston you must be one of those east coast atheist.

wayneTx (Sent Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:32 AM)

Jamie: You forget that DeLay was never convicted of any crime. You also forget that Soros money,gleaned from everybody from CARLYLE and the Saudis,to HALLIBURTON,is precisely the problem with American democracy these days. Soros is a robber baron. You will have observed that leftwingers from TRUTHOUT to MOVEON accuse those who have made money from the Iraq War as having ''blood on their hands''. Yet Soros is excused from their purile judgements. Why? [the answer may be found here: www.opensecrets.org].

Lee Holmes (Sent Thursday, August 30, 2007 3:32 PM)

YES, THERE IS TRANSPARANCEY AND THE DEMOCRATS WELCOME IT. CAN THE GOP IS 4 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE RED, BUT THEIR ENTIRE INSTITUTION IS USING ALL THE MONIES THEY GET FOR LEGAL EXPENSES.

ITS NOT ABOUT MONEY, ITS ABOUT THE VOTE. THE GOP DOESN'T MIND BEING BROKE, AS THEY HAVE SPENT THAT LAST TWO YEARS STACKING UP THE CAGE VOTING SCHEMES IN AMERICA. THEY ARE USING OUR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND EVERY REGENT UNIVERSITY STUDENT THEY CAN GET IN THIS ADMINISTRATION TO STEAL THE BLACK VOTE AND THE MILITARY VOTE BOTH IN EUROPE AND IN MIDDLE EAST.

SO REGARDLESS OF THE MONEY, CAN THE GOP GET A VOTE.

THEFT BY DECEPTION IS A CRIME, AND ALL THE FOX ATTACKS IN THE WORLD CANNOT SAVE THIS FAILING REPUBLICAN INSTITUTION.

MAYBE IN 2016.

WE WANT TRANSPARANCY BUT WE WILL NOT TOLERATE ANYMORE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES FROM THIS WHITE HOUSE.

BY THE WAY WHEN WILL TOM DELAY GO TO JAIL? AND WHY ISN'T HE ALREADY IN JAIL. HE MUST KNOW TOO MUCH AND THE REST OF THE GOP IS JUST SCARED THEY TOO WILL BE BAGGED OUT THE NEXT TIME THEY GO TO THE RESTROOM OR TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PARK FOR SOMEONE ELSES CHILD.

Roger Morris (Sent Thursday, August 30, 2007 4:03 PM)

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