Group seeks FEC investigation of Hastert fund

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/16hast.html

Group seeks FEC investigation of Hastert fund

August 16, 2005

BY DENNIS CONRAD ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement

WASHINGTON-- A private group filed a complaint Tuesday urging federal election officials to investigate whether House Speaker Dennis Hastert's campaign fund illegally accepted contributions from foreigners.

The complaint from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government relied on an article published in the September issue of Vanity Fair to argue the Federal Election Commission should pursue the matter.

The group, whose executive director, Melanie Sloan, is a former federal prosecutor and counsel to House Democrats, suggested that the Illinois Republican's campaign fund could have received hundreds of unitemized contributions of $200 or less from foreigners in 2000 and 2001 because Hastert raised so much money in small amounts.

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