WASHINGTON - The first complaint against the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign to be filed with the Federal Election Commission was logged today by the public interest group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW. It alleges that the campaign, along with Americans for Tax Reform and its leader Grover Norquist, violated federal campaign laws when Norquist handed over a master contact list of conservative activists in 37 states to President George W. Bush's campaign manager Ken Mehlman (see: "Election Trap").
Americans for Tax Reform is a corporation and campaigns are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations. According to FEC regulations, Bush-Cheney could not accept the list if it came directly from Americans for Tax Reform. CREW believes that Bush-Cheney may have also violated FEC filing requirements by failing to record the contribution of the list. Just a couple months ago, the FEC slapped a fine on Attorney General John Ashcroft's unsuccessful 2000 senatore campaign for a similar offense.
"The public needs to know that no one, including the president of the United States, is above the law. FEC laws are clear and must be followed," said Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of CREW. "Mr. Norquist's contribution of the master contact list is very similar to Attorney General Ashcroft's problematic involvement with the contribution of a mailing list. The FEC has already found such a contribution to violate the law."
If the FEC chooses to investigate, the process could take months.
Americans for Tax Reform is a corporation and campaigns are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations. According to FEC regulations, Bush-Cheney could not accept the list if it came directly from Americans for Tax Reform. CREW believes that Bush-Cheney may have also violated FEC filing requirements by failing to record the contribution of the list. Just a couple months ago, the FEC slapped a fine on Attorney General John Ashcroft's unsuccessful 2000 senatore campaign for a similar offense.
"The public needs to know that no one, including the president of the United States, is above the law. FEC laws are clear and must be followed," said Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of CREW. "Mr. Norquist's contribution of the master contact list is very similar to Attorney General Ashcroft's problematic involvement with the contribution of a mailing list. The FEC has already found such a contribution to violate the law."
If the FEC chooses to investigate, the process could take months.
