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WASHINGTON WIRE
Political Insight and Analysis From The Wall Street Journal’s Capital Bureau Blog Search:
< Edwards: ‘Ashamed of My Conduct an[...] -- Previous | SEE ALL POSTS FROM THIS BLOG | Next -- Political Perceptions: Obama, Hit Harder[...] > August 8, 2008, 7:06 pm
Liberal Group Will Pay for Dirt on Conservative Groups
T. W. Farnam reports on politics.
A new liberal group is offering a $100,000 reward for information about conservative political groups that leads to a conviction or fines for breaking campaign finance or tax laws. The liberal organization, Accountable America, was formed to combat conservative donors or organizations who run ads attacking the Democratic Party and its congressional candidates.
“They’re really operating on the assumption that they can remain in the shadows,” Judd Legum, an adviser to the group. “That’s one of the primary ways to accomplish what we’re looking for. If you can shed some light on these organizations and the people who fund them, you’ll end up with a better result.”
The idea is to create a sense of scandal around the groups, said founder Tom Matzzie, recently a key leader of MoveOn.org. “We really want to ask these donors whether they want to be associated with some of these people,” Matzzie said.
As an example of the need and potential for the effort, Matzzie pointed to a blog item that the group recently posted to their site describing how the company of Mel Sembler, a board member of the conservative group Freedom’s Watch, paid $100,000 to hire a local Florida lobbyist after prompting from a county commissioner, a deal that’s now part of a federal investigation. It links to an article in the Palm Beach Post that has so far not been noted in the national press.
The group is also sending a letter to almost 10,000 Republican donors, detailing rules for political giving, the status of current investigations into misconduct, and the consequences for breaking laws. The letter also describes the group’s $100,000 reward and its plans to scrutinize donors.
It’s also worth noting that Accountable America operates under the same tax structure as Freedom’s Watch, a group on their watch list. As a non-profit “social welfare” group formed under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, the group is not required to disclose the names and addresses of people who give money, unlike political groups that directly support or oppose federal candidates. Asked who was giving to his effort, Matzzie said, “We don’t have very many large donors because we haven’t raised large amounts of money.” The group will release the names of donors who agree to be identified, he said. “We expect most of the money to come over the Internet.”
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