8th District Hardball Begins
Eastside Republican Congressman Dave Reichert doesn’t even kick off his reelection campaign until next week, but with his opponent, Democrat Darcy Burner, having out-fundraised him by 2 to 1 in the first quarter, the gloves are already coming off.
The State Republican Party today announced it is filing a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission about Burner’s handling of contributions. I’ll post a response from Burner’s campaign as soon as it arrives.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 12, 2006
8th District Democrat named in campaign violation complaintSeattle, WA The Washington State Republican Party today filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) charging that US Congressional candidate Darcy Burner violated numerous federal election laws in her bid to unseat incumbent 8th District Congressman Dave Reichert. Diane Tebelius, Washington State GOP chairman, asked the FEC to look into alleged violations of federal campaign reporting laws including receipt of excessive contributions and failure to properly report disbursements.
This complaint paints a picture of a campaign that is unable to comply with federal election rules and regulations. Earlier this year Burner pledged to adhere to the highest ethical standards if elected to Congress. This latest revelation makes that pledge sound hollow. "Darcy Burner makes a mockery of her own pledge with her inability or unwillingness to follow even the most basic campaign finance rules,” commented Chairman Tebelius.The complaint stems from Burner's involvement with "Eastside Democracy for America", a spin-off of Howard Dean's Democracy for America Political Action Committee (PAC). The complaint alleges that the eastside group paid for a campaign event that was not listed in any of Burner's federally-mandated campaign disclosures. Additionally, it was noted that the group produced and distributed a videotape of the event, the cost of which likely exceeds the $5,000 contribution limit for Political Action Committees. Other concerns focused on the fact that Eastside DFA's status as a political action committee is unclear raising questions about whether Burner accepted corporate in-kind donations, a violation of federal campaign finance law.
Diane Tebelius - now, where have I heard that name before?
Oh, yeah.
She's sooooo credible...