Israel writes: "The non-partisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints Thursday with both the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alleging that Karl Rove and his secretive Crossroads GPS violated election law and may have engaged in a criminal conspiracy to do so."
Karl Rove. (photo: Getty Images)
Watchdog: Karl Rove and Crossroads GPS Broke Election Law
17 November 12
he non-partisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints Thursday with both the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alleging that Karl Rove and his secretive Crossroads GPS violated election law and may have engaged in a criminal conspiracy to do so.
Under campaign finance law and FEC regulations, 501(c)(4) groups, like Crossroads GPS, can raise unlimited funds from wealthy individuals and corporations without having to disclose their donors. The only time donors to these secretive groups must be disclosed is when donors give more than $200 explicitly "for the purpose of furthering an independent expenditure."
According to CREW, Rove expressly asked for and received millions of dollars in contributions specifically to fund an independent expenditure effort in support of unsuccessful Republican Ohio Senate nominee Josh Mandel:
Federal law requires any outside group that makes an independent expenditure to disclose the donors who contributed to pay for such ads. Groups like Crossroads GPS normally evade this law by claiming none of their contributions were earmarked for a specific purpose. At an August 2012 fundraiser, however, Rove said an anonymous donor gave Crossroads GPS $3 million specifically for the Ohio Senate race, and told Rove it was a "matching challenge" dependent on the group raising another $3 million for the race. Crossroads GPS ended up spending $6.36 million on independent expenditures in the Ohio race, but did not disclose any donors in nine reports the group filed with the FEC.
CREW also notes that, in a 2011 letter to the FEC, Crossroads GPS said that it "understands the applicable reporting regulations" and that, should it receive "any contributions that are required to be reported," it would do so as required. Given this, CREW argues, the violations "were deliberate" and "are subject to criminal as well as civil penalties."
The Rove comment in question was reported in Bloomberg Businessweek in September. That article quoted Rove as saying a donor told him "I'll give ya' $3 million, matching challenge," and that "Bob Castellini, owner of the Cincinnati Reds, is helping raise the other $3 million for that one." Crossroads GPS would end up spending just over $6 million on the Ohio Senate race.
Tara Malloy, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, told ThinkProgress that if the allegations are true, it "seems reasonable to assume the main contributor gave for the purpose of furthering that expenditure or at least that these allegations warrant an FEC investigation." But, she notes, the three Republican appointees on the deadlocked six-member Federal Election Commission often block enforcement efforts of this type and have previously noted a difference between contributions furthering independent expenditures in general — and contributions specifically furthering a particular independent expenditure. Even if Rove raised the money to fund independent expenditures in the Ohio Senate race, that interpretation of the rule would require proof that he discussed with them the exact ads before the donation.
Still, she observed, "The allegations are troubling… One would hope the FEC might investigate this matter."
Crossroads GPS may also be in hot water for its apparent failure to register as a charity in Virginia, as required by law.
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CLANDESTINE FOREIGN TAMPERING WITH OUR ELECTIONS IS ANOTHER MAJOR REASON WHY CITIZENS UNITED MUST BE REVERSED!
Rove was a filthy, sleazy, traitorous dirtball long before Cheney came along. He should've long ago been UNDER THE JAIL.
A criminal investigation of this kind would do more than almost any other actions for sinking Citizens United.
Go farther -- hope for convictions and lenghty sentences.
"Grassroots" my a**.
N.
I think you are right, Rove, or Rumsfeld, or Cheney, or any supporters of the Bush Cabal, are the enduring face of the GOP. Mitt Romney offered a pin striped continuation of the same falsity. The greed component will ultimately destroy them, but they have come close to destroying us all.
You're so right, Georip. If Mendacious Mitt and Lyin' Ryan had won the White House, it would have meant the final nail in the coffin for America as we know it. It still amazes me that a supposedly "credible" candidate can build an entire campaign on a foundation of lies.
And for sibbaldflats, above, you're right "In a sane country... they shouldn't stand a chance." But you didn't take into account the race factor (including voter suppression), which cost the Obama campaign several percentage points in the election results. No one knows how much a factor it was, but blind hatred for the Black Man in their White House was definitely a factor.
His intent, as with his co-contributors , is to have power over others, not to have power with others. And power over the environment, not power with.
He has come to believe he's above the law, and above being responsible for the consequences of his decisions.
I suspect he believes his intentions are "pure and worthy," so when he makes decisions, he focuses solely on his intentions, and then, he can rationalize away every consequence of every decision he makes.
Of course, in his own mind, he is never wrong about anything. Ironically, this probably makes him more wrong about a lot of things.
It's about time someone tried to nab this sociopath, not that I have much hope. Breaking the law is nothing to him, but he has been smart enough to get away with it repeatedly. He was one of those guilty of revealing Valerie Plame's identity, but his lawyer learned somehow that the prosecutor knew Rove had lied, so Rove then went to the prosecutor and admitted having done so. Since he could only have been prosecuted for lying, he emerged unscathed. George Bush would have pardoned him anyway. But some of his actions have been egregious and outrageous, not to mention any other 'ous es', so it would be nice if he could at least be banished from politics. However I haven't heard of that penalty anytime in the recent past.
No, the exec branch and the JAG know what he has done...they just won't do anything about it!
Can someone explain that to me...
Justice is a four letter word...who knew?
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