Webloggin » FEC Issues 7th Largest Ever Fine against Clinton Ally

The FEC has fined yet another Democrat support group in charges that it illegally spent more than $53 Million in the run up to the 2004 election.

Before we discuss the players lets look at how incompetent the government is at not only preventing this sort of activity but also punishing it. Although George Soros, Bill Clinton, Harold Ickes and friends illegally spent over $53 million they are being charged a paltry $580,000.

Q. Why in the world aren’t the fines an automatic amount that is minimally equal to the amount of illegal money spent? That would stop this activity pretty quickly.

A. Because these people are government insiders. They live to undermine the American electoral system for their own personal gain.

Look at who is involved and tell me they aren’t intricately tied to the Democrat party leadership, past, present and future.

The Federal Election Commission unanimously voted to levy a $580,000 fine against a group that spent tens of millions of dollars in support of Democrat John F. Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.

The Media Fund, which was partially funded by billionaire George Soros and led by former Bill Clinton aide Harold M. Ickes and EMILY’s List President Ellen Malcolm, agreed to pay the fine to settle charges it illegally spent more than $53 million in the run-up to Election Day 2004.

The penalty is the seventh largest in FEC history.

But it’s only the latest in a series of huge fines against groups that poured unregulated cash into the often-nasty ads that shaped the race between Kerry and President George W. Bush.

The so-called 527 groups, named for the section of the IRS code under which they were incorporated, raised money from groups or in amounts barred by federal election rules.

Like other 527s saddled with heavy fines by the FEC, the Media Fund has largely closed up shop, and big-money outside groups are now looking at other avenues for influencing the 2008 elections.

The FEC had already fined a number of major 527s for illegal spending during the 2004 elections, including the Democratic-leaning groups MoveOn.org Voter Fund and the George Soros-backed America Coming Together, as well as the Republican-supporting groups Progress for America Voter Fund and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

It’s time that the activities of the FEC are brought under close scrutiny. Its failure is one of ineptness and sadly ineffectual methods. This action is coming 4 years after the election and these guys have closed up shop for the most part or are operating under new names today.

The FEC determined that more than 90 percent of the $60 million raised by the Media Fund came from labor unions, corporations or from donors who gave more $5,000 — all contributions barred by federal election rules.

Yet the group spent tens of millions of dollars on ads that specifically advocated Bush’s defeat.

Lyn Utrecht, who represented the Media Fund in the settlement, was out of the country and unavailable to discuss the fine. Other representatives from the group could not immediately be reached for comment.

There you go; more Democrat corruption just in time for the 2008 elections. Republicans are not much better. A big slap on the back goes to John McCain who helped usher this kind of campaign reform in. Thanks for nothing. (And you thought things couldn’t actually get worse)