The Republican National Committee said it plans to file a complaint today against Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign raising questions about the some osmall contributions and donations from overseas.
The Republican National Committee today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the Obama campaign raising questions about small contributions and donations from overseas.
“We believe Obama for America has knowingly accepted excessive contributions and donations from foreign nationals, and has failed to take the necessary remedial action required by law,” said RNC chief counsel Sean Cairncross. “We see this as a wide-scale problem and it appears the Obama campaign may be in substantial noncompliance with federal campaign finance laws. Barack Obama broke his word to the American people and refused to accept public financing, and now his campaign appears to be disregarding the rules and laws that govern federal campaigns. Senator Obama routinely mentions the word ‘change’ on the campaign trail, yet it seems the only changes he supports are ones that personally benefit his own political aspirations.â€
The Obama campaign has received an overwhelming number of donations of $200 or less, with those donations accounting for more than $220 million of the record-breaking $450 million it has collected so far.
Such donations don’t have to be itemized when reporting to the election commission unless the donor’s total contributions are higher than $200. In the past Watchdog groups have noted that those types of donations are troublesome. The groups have also praised the campaign of Senator John McCain for offering on its Web site a tool that allows a search of all of its donors, including those who gave less than $200, writes the Washington Post.
The issue is being seized upon by the Republicans against the Obama campaign after an article this month on the conservative Web site Newsmax.com highlighted some obviously questionable contributions Mr. Obama had received that far exceeded the $4,600 an individual can contribute to a candidate’s primary and general election campaigns.
The donations included thousands of dollars in excess donations, made in increments of $25, from someone named Good Will in Austin, Tex., who listed his employer as “Loving†and his occupation as “You.†It also cited another donor named Doodad Pro, from “Nunda, N.Y.,†with the same employer and occupation, says the Washington Post and New York Times.
The commission warned the Obama campaign about both donors in August. The campaign was supposed to have responded within 30 days. But its campaign finance filing in September showed it had failed to refund more than $10,000 in donations from each, although Obama officials say all of the money has now been returned. A campaign has 60 days from when it receives an excess contribution to address it.
Republican officials believe that if the Obama campaign had missed such obviously questionable itemized contributions, there could be much more in the form of fraudulent donations in the amounts below $200 that do not have to be