State campaign finance board fines liberal group

[Dickie Flatt]

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/10469052.htm?1c

Twenty-first Century Democrats, a national political action committee that was active in Minnesota this year, has been fined more than $300,000 for failing to report properly the donors who gave it money. ...

In rulings issued in a closed-door session on Dec. 17 and not made public until Tuesday, the campaign finance board concluded that 21st Century Democrats "inadvertently violated" state law on a number of occasions from 2001 through October of this year.

Ruling on a technical point, the board said a state campaign committee operated by 21st Century Democrats improperly accepted contributions from the national PAC when that national group had not registered in Minnesota. If the national group had registered, it would have been required to provide lists of its donors.

Brian Svoboda, a 21st Century Democrats lawyer, told the campaign finance board that the group improperly listed a number of donors from across the country as contributing to the group's Minnesota campaign committee. In fact, Svoboda said, the donors contributed to the national group and then their names were attached to various fund transfers the national group made to its Minnesota account.

[Tempest]

1. And at the same time DeLay's PACs get a free ride

When does the investigations into DeLay's illegal PACs start?

[latteromden]

2. *head spins* I worked with them a few times here in MN. Bizarre. (n/t)