Judicial Watch Update: JW Launches FEC Complaint against Pelosi and Gore

 

May 30, 2008 From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton: Judicial Watch Asks FEC to Investigate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore Group for Violating Campaign Finance Laws This week Judicial Watch filed a formal complaint with the FEC against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection concerning a television advertising campaign that apparently violates federal campaign finance laws. The "We Campaign" television ads featuring Pelosi and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are part of a project funded by the Alliance for Climate Protection, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore. (We also filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service as well.) So how does this television campaign run afoul of campaign finance laws? Our complaint details how this commercial represents both an in-kind contribution to the Pelosi campaign and a campaign contribution by the Alliance because Speaker Pelosi is a candidate for Congress and the commercial has run within 90 days of her June 3 primary. Now, according to the FEC, "When an individual or political committee pays for a communication that is coordinated with a candidate or party committee, the communication is considered an in-kind contribution to that candidate or party committee and is subject to the limits, prohibitions and reporting requirements of the federal campaign finance law." (Judicial Watch's complaint details the various ways in which the ad meets the legal definition of a "coordinated communication.") A press release about the "We Campaign" indicates that the Pelosi advertisement was scheduled to "run nationally on network and cable channels" - which presumably would have included Pelosi's San Francisco, California district. Overall, it has been reported that the commercial "has run about 300 times on national cable networks such as Fox News and CNN," since its debut on April 18, 2008. Thus far, apparently, neither Speaker Pelosi's campaign nor Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection is prepared to follow the law and properly report the contribution. The bottom line: This commercial clearly represents an illegal multi-million dollar contribution from Al Gore's organization to Nancy Pelosi's campaign and is absolutely prohibited by law. Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore may want to the save the world, but they still have to follow federal law. The FEC and the IRS ought to act quickly. I will be sure to keep you posted on what, if anything, these agencies do. (We've been quite active in trying to get campaign finance laws enforced this election year. We filed an FEC complaint against Hillary on April 14 for her apparently illegal Elton John fundraiser. And then, ten days later, we filed a separate complaint against John McCain for a fundraiser held in London that may have also had illegal foreign support.) Until next week… Tom Fitton President Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Judicial Watch is dedicated to fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to ethics and morality in our nation's public life. To make a tax-deductible contribution in support of our efforts, click here.