Ethics Group Cries Foul on Gingrich
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on December 20th, 2011 5:39 am by HL
Ethics Group Cries Foul on Gingrich
The ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging that Newt Gingrich violated the law by selling a mailing list to his campaign for $42,000, according to the Washington Post.
“Mailing lists are routinely bought and sold by political campaigns, but the Gingrich case is unusual because the campaign says it paid the candidate personally for the list. Most such lists are owned by a political committee or group rather than by the candidate themselves… CREW notes in its complaint that the mailing list was not included as an asset in Gingrich’s financial disclosure records, which are filed by presidential candidates. Therefore, the group argues, the list appears to be owned by Gingrich Productions.”
“The sale of the mailing list, as well as commingling of book sales and campaign activities, violate FEC prohibitions on corporate contributions to a political campaign, CREW alleges in its complaint.”
