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Posted on 08/10/2004 10:33:33 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Three campaign finance watchdog groups filed a complaint Tuesday accusing a group of Vietnam veterans of violating the campaign finance law by airing an ad that challenges Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites)'s military record.
Democracy 21, the Center for Responsive Politics and the Campaign Legal Center argue that the ad by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth violates a federal ban on the use of unlimited donations, often referred to as "soft money," to influence federal elections.
In the ad, the group accuses Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, of lying about his war record and betraying fellow veterans by later protesting the conflict. Veterans who served with Kerry on his swiftboat have said the group is lying, and Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona has called the ad "dishonest and dishonorable."
The group bought $500,000 worth of airtime to run the ad in Wisconsin, Ohio and West Virginia.
In the complaint to the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites), the watchdog groups argued that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth should have used only limited contributions from individuals known as hard money on the ad and should disclose its donations and spending in reports to the FEC.
"We this think is open and shut, that the only purpose of this group is to influence the presidential election," said Fred Wertheimer, head of Democracy 21.
Mike Russell, a spokesman for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, said the ad is legal because it does not tell viewers which candidate they should vote for in the presidential race.
"The ads are not meant to influence the presidential election. The ads are meant to tell the truth about John Kerry's service record so people can make their own decisions," Russell said.
The veterans group said it has at least 5,000 new contributors and has raised more than $230,000 since the ad started running last week.
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On the Net:
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: http://www.swiftvets.com/
Democracy 21: http://www.democracy21.org/
You have got to be kidding me. Have these people filed complaints against moveon.org too??
'Scuse me while I don't cry a river over these complaints.
Thanks so much, John McCain, really appreciate it.
Our side has as much right to speak out as the Rats do.
The difference is: they can't take the truth!
Sure is fun to watch them squirm though!
SO Moveon.org has commercials downing the Prez by name. They're getting millions from the libs and this is different how?
Amen, brother Norm, it is time for all good Freepers to contribute to our brave Swiftboat Vets:
Donate to the Swift boat vets to counter the tie in with the mediots and Kerry!
Why we should contribute to the Swift Boat Money raising for tv ads, based on comments from Kerri's staff":
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1188521/posts
According to a Kerry campaign source, senior campaign advisers tasked two Washington-based campaign staffers to vet the recently published Unfit for Command.
"The purpose was to compare what that book had with what we had on file from Senator Kerry," says the campaign source, who said that the research project developed more than 75 instances where Kerry's recollections, previous remarks, or writings conflicted with the book's reporting.
"We took some of the most glaring examples, like the Christmas in Cambodia story, and presented them to senior staff, and we assume that those things were put in front of Senator Kerry," says the source. "We haven't heard a word about it. All we were told is that it was being taken care of."
The campaign source said that the book was not considered a "serious" problem for the campaign, because, "the media wouldn't have the nerve to come at us with this kind of stuff," says the source.
"The senior staff believes the media is committed to seeing us win this thing, and that the convention inoculated us from these kinds of stories. The senior guys really think we don't have a problem here."
How come no complaints against the other 527 groups?
That's right! Free speech is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with politics.
The current President signed the repeal of the first amendment. You reap what you sow.
Satan is the Father of Lies - Satan is a Democrat.
Un-by-god-believeable. There is no low to which these people will stoop to bring down anyone speaking out against their candidate while they endorse those who speak out against Bush. Total hypocrisy.
There, that's better.
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