WP: FEC Fines Ark. Law Firm For Donations to Edwards

[DeepModem Mom]

FEC Fines Ark. Law Firm For Donations to Edwards
By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Sunday, June 25, 2006; Page A05

There was something fishy, skeptics noted at the time, about all those maximum contributions flowing to John Edwards's then-presidential campaign from modestly paid clerks and paralegals.

Three years after the controversy arose, the Federal Election Commission agreed. The regulatory agency last week announced that Tab Turner, a prominent trial lawyer, and his Little Rock law firm have agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty for violating a federal law that prohibits corporate contributions and contributions made in the name of another person.

The FEC also announced that Edwards for President, the principal committee for the North Carolina Democrat's 2004 campaign, agreed to pay a $9,500 penalty for accepting in-kind contributions from Turner's firm and contributions made by Turner in the name of relatives.

The suspicions about the real origins of the Edwards contributions emerged a few months after they were made in the first half of 2003, early in his presidential bid. Edwards is considering running again in 2008.

In January 2003, the FEC said, employees of Turner's law firm worked with Edwards's staff to plan two fundraisers in Arkansas as part of their duties. Turner instructed his assistant to ask four other employees to make $2,000 contributions to the campaign (the maximum allowed by federal law) and then to reimburse them. Turner used his firm's credit card to give Edwards $2,000 and to make $2,000 donations in the name of his brother and sister-in-law, the FEC said. The agency said he also charged nearly $2,400 in hotel and rental car expenses for travel by Edwards's staff....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/24/AR2006062400697.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. How is this different or worse then

what Bush did with Enron and 100's of other companies? If the FEC wants to enforce rules, they should start with the Bush Pioneers.

[Thickasabrick]

2. Probably the most important point....this is old news. Edwards

dealt with it and repaid all the funds. With all the "new" scandals, one has to wonder why they would focus on this.

A spokeswoman for Edwards, Kim Rubey, called the development "very old news" and said these were "issues dealt with long ago." Turner's firm said: "Although not in agreement with all the conclusions reached by the FEC, Turner & Associates is pleased to have worked with the FEC to resolve this matter."

When news accounts revealed the transactions in April 2003, the Edwards campaign said it had not known of any improprieties. It returned all the contributions from employees of Turner's firm.

[NVMojo]

3. the media whores are pandering to the GOP fears already

[depakid]

4. Just the Post drudging up old matters

to run cover for the far right and the GOP.

Yawn.

[aaronbees]

6. It's never too early...

to start digging up false dirt in preparation for the next presidential election! Stirring up old dreck like this is particularly loathsome and desperate.

[lindisfarne]

5. A law firm making such an obvious illegal move - whose side are they

on? Are they really trying to undermine Edwards?

[Schema Thing]

7. Good for the FEC. frickin' traitor, shoulda given the money to Clark!

:hide:

:evilgrin:

:popcorn:

[Thickasabrick]

8. LOL

[goforit]

9. Edwards is on the PNAC chopping block.