Obama Campaign Files FEC Complaint Against Pro-Clinton Group

CNN reports:

Barack Obama's campaign has filed a formal complaint over a pro-Hillary Clinton group running ads attacking the Illinois senator on jobs and the economy in the critical primary state of Indiana.

The American Leadership Project, which includes veterans of the Clinton administration and longtime supporters, is a "527," which means it is not bound by federal campaign finance laws as long as it does not directly advocate on behalf of a particular candidate.

The group announced earlier this week that it was planning to buy $700,000 worth of airtime in the state leading up to Tuesday's vote.

The Obama campaign planned a conference call this morning with general counsel Bob Bauer to discuss the specifics of the complaint filed Tuesday with the Federal Elections Commission.

Here's the ad in question:

Comments

[melelo]

I think it is time for Hillary to bow out with grace and go to the senat and pass some health care bill, yes we will.

[skepticalindenver]

She has passed the poitn of bowing out gracefully some time ago.

[pdsimdars]

No grace left.

[mhoiles]

Then the dems will not have a nominee, because Barry is done.

[YvonneH]

I smell "Clintons" all over this ad. Typically, another low blow.....

[TrollsTakeYourMedstoo]

It's a political campaign. For Gawd's sake. Is this the first campaign you Obama supporters have ever paid attention too!!! Geesh....a­s Bill Clinton says, "It's a contact sport. If you don't want to get hit, don't suit up".

[DragonMama]

Actually, no, I voted for Bill Clinton, then Al Gore, then John Kerry. And this year I'll be voting for Barack Obama. Hillary is not a contender. I've paid close attention to every presidential election since I was 3 years old (Regan's in 1980) and accurately predicted the winner each time until W stole it in 2000 (and I actually was pretty sure that he was going to get re-elected, too, tho it depressed the hell out of me when he did).

Bill also told us for the candidate that made us think and gave us hope. That's not his wife.

[SCG2]

The American Leadership Project is operated by:

Jason Kinney, a former senior communications advisor and the chief speechwriter to former California Governor Gray Davis
Erick Mullen, a political consultant who has worked for the presidential campaigns of retired General Wesley Clark, former Senator Bill Bradley, and the 1998 Senate run of Chuck Schumer
Mattis Goldman, a former ad maker for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland
Paul Rivera, a senior political adviser for the 2004 Kerry-Edwards campaign, and a former Clinton/Gore White House staffer
Roger Salazar, who worked as assistant press secretary in the Clinton/Gore White House, a national spokesman for Senator John Edwards’ during the 2004 presidential race, a national spokesman and the deputy press secretary of the 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore, and as the press secretary for former California Governor Gray Davis
The law firm representing the group is Remcho, Johansen & Purcell, LLC. Accounting and bookkeeping is being handled by Nancy Warren of the San Francisco-based Warren & Associates LLC.

As a 527, ALP is not required to disclose their donors, and they have chosen not to.[2]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Leadership_Project

[SCCavie93]

I AM SICK OF ALL THINGS BUSH AND CLINTON!

[BenMAF]

I worked for a 527 in the last general election cycle - as long as the ads do not say "vote for (x)" or "don't vote for (y)" then the ads are not in violation.

John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have all had 527s advocating on their behalf or against their opponents this cycle - I don't understand all the hub-bub. As long as the campaigns do not try to coordinate their efforts or conduct "expressed advocacy" I don't know what rule is being broken.

[skepticalindenver]

You are right that unless they can prove a connection to the campaign they have not violated the law. However, while these groups are permitted as a form of free speech that fall outside the candidates control, the reality is that they are often "shady" groups with back channels to the campaigns. I wish there were more limitations put on them, but I'm at a loss to say what restrictions could be applied evenly and fairly and still stop the swift boat politics we have seen so much of.

[Pammy1151]

And I would hope that any of the supers that have half a brain would see and hear what Bill & Hill are doing and strongly object by not endorsing her.

[kay]

Weren't elected Democrats on the leadership team of this Clinton 527?

It was originally promoted as a pro-Democrat org. If it's actually a Clinton money laundering operation, we should know which elected Democrats are running it.

If elected Democrats are going to attack one of the Democratic candidates, and promote Clinton, shouldn't we know who those Democrats are? That way, we could register our disapproval with them directly.

[SCG2]

We'll have to do a little research into you this "group" is comprised of. I don't see how you can view this as not "advocating on behalf of a particular candidate" especially since it's a two way election,to disparage one candidate, is favoring the other.

[SCG2]

into WHO this "group" is comprised of.

[BenMAF]

You can see some of the people who are affiliated with the organization on the wiki site for the American Leadership Project. Federal elected officials are barred from coordinating activities with 527 organizations. State officials, like governors or state senators can operate or participate in 527 activities.

Unfortunately with 527s, the Clinton campaign cannot call the organization and say stop; Barack Obama and John Edwards both ran into similar issues this cycle.

[Felicty]

Amerika won't be happy until Bill Clinton is once again running through the White House with his pants around his ankles.

AGAIN.

[BOBZILLA]

It's quite apparent that Hillary wore the pants.

[mesuki]

People voted for the wrong reason 8 years ago,and they 're still doing the same thing today,Haven't learned a thing.Amer­icans who are voting for McCain or Clinton deserves what's waiting for them.

[professorai]

Unfortunately Bush has castrated the FEC. They should be closely watching 527's, they should be taking a huge bite out of Fox television and especially Limbaugh for being republican funded operations masquerading as having some public interest for free use of airwaves.

The christian coalition and liberty lobby, also Republican operaitions, Luckily died with Falwell and with Reed handling gambling money from Abramowitz. But Rove is still out there. RepubliJew Spin Dial Psycholinguist Frank Luntz is out there undercover as an unbiased observer.

The use of billions of dollars for domestic psyops by the incumbent through talking war-heads and other armstrong williams's is still not an issue. We still have not prosecuted anyone for the loss of $500B on a war because we the people were programmed to believe Iraq had Nukes or was behind 9/11. In fact, we the people were lied to and brainwashed so many times to create popular support for various war aims, (Not Bin Laden, Afghanistan! Not Taliban, Al Aqeda, Not Afghanistan, Iraq! Not Iraqi's, the Iraq branch of Al Queda! Not Al Queda, the Sadr Army! Not Iraq, Iran!) that even the original claim that "Bin Laden, a former CIA Asset, did it" becomes quite suspect.

Republican funding forces are only mounting their anti-gay, anti immigrant, anti-tax, anti-affirmative action, petition drives. However, the $10's of billions Bush "lost track of" in Iraq, has yet to flow back to mind-control our election.

[hopefulintexas]

Personally, as much yammering as everyone does about how vicious the Republicans will be, I doubt the Republicans would ever be able to get away with the Obama-smearing Hillary and her henchmen are doing. I think it would boomerang on them in a bad way and they are very, very lucky to have Hillary doing it for them.

[TrollsTakeYourMedstoo]

And methinks you would be wrong. The repubes not only don't care about being called racist, they pride themselves on it!!! All of them. They remind me of Uncle Ruckus on Boondocks. Say ignorant things and love to spread them around. Who do you think is responsible for the Rev. Wright debacle. Sean Hannity and Rush Limpballs. Wait...you ain't seen nothing yet.

[Denni]

The Clintons are too low for me to ever take them seriously again. I'm looking very carefully at anyone who stands with them. it shows me who they really are.

[indieminded]

Push-polling, 527's, smear ads.... These is the same old tired politics tricks that Americans have tolerated for far too long. If we want better leadership in Washington, we, as citizens, have to do better in the voting booth.

A vote for Clinton equals a vote for the same old dirty politics that accomplish nothing but America's dumbing-down.

[indieminded]

spellcheck- meant to say "old tired political"

I think I am just plain "tired."

[PrdAmerican]

Hmm...I can remember back to the 90s....goo­d paying jobs, factories although fewer, still in operation throughout the US. US Still a Lender Nation, Still exporing goods.....­.

Then there was this President Clinton fellow who thought he would change all that...and he did, we got NAFTA. Jobs, gone. Factories, closed. Exports, gone. We are the largest debter nation in wolrd history. NAFTA wasn't good enough for Clinton...­he decided that we should engage with CAFTA along with Mark Penn. Who's better for the economy? Let's see...brin­g back the dirty duo who PUSHED NAFTA or bring in someone who vows to change and amend it to fit American needs?

[HouseOfRoberts]

Hillary is too comfortable with the Rupert Murdochs and Richard Mellon-Scaifes, for me. Not long ago, Rendell is complimenting Fox News, then Terry McAuliffe is complimenting them the other day. Republicans may not want Hillary to be President, but she is obviously their second choice in this election. They know they can fare better with her than Obama, and that is all I need to oppose her.