Lack of Clean Hands: Complaints filed against GOP Organizations for Campaign Finance Violations
After the Dana Long incident, I warned Republicans against triumphalism, indicating to them that they better have clean hands when it comes to this election. While this is not necessarily directly analogous, indeed I would say this is worse, the Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the Elections Commissioner over multiple campaign finance violations by state Republican organizations. Here is the full release from the Dems….
For Immediate Release: October 31, 2014
Delaware Democratic Party Files Multiple Violations with the Elections Commissioner
NEW CASTLE — The Delaware Democratic Party on Thursday filed multiple complaints with the Elections Commissioner for alleged campaign finance violations, including a second complaint against the House Republican Campaign Committee.
The Delaware Democratic Party filed a complaint against Common Sense Delaware PAC, a political action committee that sent at least two mailings this week. The PAC was created less than two weeks ago and is funded solely by Delaware GOP National Committeewoman Ellen Barrosse. The PAC filed an 8-day campaign finance report but failed to meet the disclosure requirement for third-party advertisers and also has not notified the Elections Commissioner about the expenditure.
“This has gone beyond a simple, honest mistake,” Chairman John Daniello said. “We have Republican Party officials and an entire caucus of elected officials avoiding public scrutiny by failing to follow the law. Democrats have been trying to cast more sunlight into our elections by increasing transparency in our campaign finance laws. Republicans say they want to join in this cause, but they’ve shown they’re not serious about that.”
Another complaint was filed against Reform Delaware Now PAC, which recently sent a mailing supporting 41st District Republican candidate Rich Collins, who is challenging Democratic Rep. John Atkins. Similar to Common Sense Delaware PAC, Reform Delaware Now’s mailing has not notified the Elections Commissioner of the expenditure.
“The General Assembly passed this disclosure law to make the public more aware of exactly who is trying to influence their vote with these late-in-the-game ads,” said Democratic Party Chairman Daniello. “Increasing transparency in our elections is not a partisan issue. Voters deserve to know who is spending thousands of dollars urging them to support or oppose a particular candidate. Unfortunately, it appears that Republicans have chosen to disregard this law.”
Oh my, just because the dems throw some more mud around doesn’t mean Bethany doesn’t win the #1 Idiot award for this cycle. It’s like the guy who’s trying to get his friend out of a DUI, by pointing out another drunk. Could elections be cleaner? Yes, it starts with voting for some of the Republican bills designed to clean up election law. It doesn’t start with look at the idiot over there! And nothing will trump the viral coverage of Dana Long. We just might win some races on Tuesday with this kind of brain trust over at D headquarters. Voters are not as stupid as you want them to be.
How about you Republicans start with complying with the election laws we already passed to clean up elections? Indeed, it does not inspire great faith in the voters to elect Republicans on their promise to clean up elections when they are the ones violating campaign finance law. How about you guys do what Bethany did, and apologize first?
Could elections be cleaner? Yes, it starts with complying with existing laws.
There, fixed it for ya.
And that includes both finance laws AND sign stealing.
See, here’s the thing about 2-way streets…
They both do it – it’s all about who gets caught.
Bethany didn’t come clean, I don’t believe her husband was out 3 nights in a row stealing signs at 4 AM and she thought he was doing what? And yes, following election law is important, but these are minor reporting issues that can be corrected in minutes and at worst are subject to small fines, which they should get. They however do not rise to the political significance of a thief in the night on tape denying he is a thief in the night with coverage, repeated coverage in all the media. Throwing more mud only prolongs the discussion, let hope the talk (and coverage continues) till Tuesday.
UI: It continues to boggle my mind how people of your persuasion think stealing 25-30 signs is far more egregious than say campaign finance violations (current post) or Marino’s criminal conviction.
But, you’re a breed that is on political life support, both on a state and national level. A party whose current ideology and “face” is that of wealthy white privilege and fearmongering. I’m really starting to think that I may actually live long enough to see the death of the GOP as a viable national force… Because, face it, your party broadly appeals only to white and this country is becoming more brown by the decade… A shade of skin color which the traditional GOP isn’t interested in welcoming (e.g. Immigration policies, rolling back of civil rights voting act, etc.)
There is proof that Ellen Barrosse, the R National committeewoman and former (?) head of Rose and Prayer, not only created the PAC, failed to comply with Delaware election law, but also sent out a Willie Hortonesque mailer claiming that somehow electing Judy Travis would solve the violent crime epidemic in Wilmington. Of course, it wasn’t technically a candidate piece b/c it didn’t say ‘Vote for Judy Travis’, just said (I’m parpaphrasing) ‘call Judy Travis, tell her you approve of what she’s doing”. Along with her phone number.
Bottom line is that Rethug financing has come back with a vengeance this year. Along with their cluelessness as to how to spend their newfound good fortune.
This is a blatant violation of campaign finance law that was passed in Delaware on a bipartisan basis. Wonder if the Snooze Journal will treat it with the same amount of sensationalism that it chose to use on the Long sign stealing…
Joe,
I don’t want to speak for UC because I don’t know him or his “persuasion”, but when speaking of such allegations, you have to do so without a biased eye. For example, Senator Hall-Long was given a pass because she said she wasn’t aware of her husband’s actions – we have nothing to go on except that statement, so we can’t scrutinize her because we have no proof to say otherwise. But… based on your statement and that of Delaware Dem, the entire Republican party is guilty of campaign fraud because of the actions of 1 person and her PAC; no proof, no charges, no conviction.
As of right now, the only person who has been charged with a crime is Dana Long – the PACs in question are only allegations by the DNC at this point. Now, if it turns out that Barrosse did, in fact, break the law, then that should reflect on her and not the GOP just as Dana’s charges should only reflect on him and not his wife/party.
“political significance” and “egregious” are not the same, but yes I do believe the public nature of Dana Long’s behavior and his taped denial are far worse than a reporting error. Both should be dealt with according to the law, let the chips fall where they should. Soon the “death” of the GOP will include a majority in the senate, and a competitive election for President in 2016, I’d say our chances are 50/50 to have control of both chambers and the white house. That kind of “death” will begin the long hard climb our country needs to fix the these years of national economic stagnation and a lawless Presidency. For both our sakes please stay away from sharp knives election night 2016, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself when reality hits.
And NO the NJ will not cover the dems mud throwing news release, because it’s not news…its an attempt to cover for the politically most stupid act of this election in DE.
@Terry, thanks for the support, but yes I’m right of center.
‘A reporting error’. Right. Or a deliberate attempt to illegally influence races that cannot be corrected after Election Day,
I’ve been around a long time. Reporting error, my ass.
El, would the “influence” have been the same if the paperwork was filed?
I get that if she operated illegally, she should be charged according to the law – no debate there. But to suggest that because it was done “illegally” somehow has larger consequences is ludicrous. It’s akin to saying that a stolen 6-pack of 90 Minute IPA will somehow get you more drunk than if you you paid for that same 6-pack.
When the DSEA keeps their grubby cabbage hands out of elections, come talk to us about the influence of money. At least “donors” to these PACs are truly that, rather than captive union employees.
Well, somehow she got her hands on $65K which could not be utilized legally, so she cut corners. Oh, and she DIDN’T file the paperwork, so what makes you think that she was going to file the paperwork? It’s not as if the R’s are w/o lawyers, and she IS the R Nat’l committeewoman…
Wheat, I take your point: “The DSEA, worse than the Koch Brothers.”
Not only is it off topic, it’s pathetic. Why do you hate the teachers, Wheat?
BTW, what’s lower than a leading party official illegally spending $65 K to influence an election? Stealing signs and getting caught. In some Bizarro Universe.
*YAWN*
Why do the establishment, corporatist Dems hate teachers is a better question El Som.
Everyone of them who voted HB 165 and SB51 the wrong way. All of them. Both sides.
Education needs true progressives, not centrist, test loving, junk measuring pro-business types who claim that we are failing because we lack Finnish rigor.
Whatever the fuck that is.
I know this will be hard for you junkies to believe, but nobody gives a crap. They really, really don’t. Everyone knows politics ain’t beanbag, but they don’t say what it is: A water fight in a sewage ditch.
LOL. The media narrative at work: its breaking world shattering news when a Democrat does it. No one cares when a Republican does it. And they say there is a liberal bias. Hysterical.
They only care about the Democrat because there’s film of it. It will affect the vote of not a single person.
The only people who care about campaign laws are people in politics. The rest of the public assumes they’re all crooked bastards.
Stop playing the victim. You want to be a Democrat, then own the stink. And the same if you want to be a Republican.
The rest of us owe no allegiance to these cretins. The only real result of this is it kills any ambition Hall-Long might have had for a job beyond her current seat.