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Subscribe to RSS*** UPDATED AT 1:15 PM WITH COMMENT FROM PRIORITIES USA ***
A top campaign watchdog group today is calling for a Justice Department criminal investigation into Super PACs supporting President Obama and GOP front runner Mitt Romney.
Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a group sharply critical of Super PACs, said Priorities USA Action, the Obama Super PAC, and Restore Our Future, a similar group backing Romney, are both "illegal operations" because of their close ties to the candidates they are backing.
In the wake of reports that the White House has signed off on plans to urge wealthy donors to contribute to the group, Wertheimer said he is writing a letter to the Justice Department today urging criminal probes of both groups.
"In order to believe that the Super PACs supporting President Obama and Mitt Romney are 'independent' from the presidential campaigns they are supporting, you must believe in the tooth fairy," Wertheimer said.
Bill Burton, Obama's former deputy press secretary and 2008 campaign spokesman, set up Priorities USA Action last year along with another former Obama political aide, Sean Sweeney. Burton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Restore Our Future, which has spent millions in the GOP primary so far, was set up by former Romney aides Charlie Spies, who was Romney’s general counsel during his 2008 bid, and Carl Forti, who was Romney’s political director. Forti is also the political director for American Crossroads.
The White House plan to steer wealthy donors to give money to Priorities USA Action was disclosed in a blog posting on the Obama campaign website, saying that the move was needed to "neutralize the avalanche of special interest spending" being mounted on the GOP side to defeat President Obama.
"The stakes are too important to play by two different sets of rules," Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager wrote.
The New York Times reported that the White House plans to dispatch top officials, including senior advisers David Plouffe and Valerie Jarrett to meet with donors. Romney himself has appeared at Restore Our Future fundraisers, something he defended on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown, saying he’d acted within the law.
“They can help in terms of fundraising, but cannot in any way communicate a course of advertising, suggest when ads run, where they run, what's in the content of the ads,” Romney said of candidates and campaigns and whether or how much they can coordinate with Super PACs supporting them. “Those are things that are prohibited so we're being very careful in that regard.”
A top strategist who works with Democratic Super PACs told NBC News that the White House decision came after mounting worries within party circles that spending by a phalanx of GOP Super PACs could reach $1 billion by election day -- including $100 million from the conservative oil magnate Koch brothers -- drowning out the president's message
"When you see numbers like that, it starts getting a little spooky," the strategist said.
He also said most big Democratic donors have so far been gun shy of the Super PACs, because of Obama's past criticism of such groups. In the 2010 election, Obama charged that GOP groups, fueled with “special interest” money, were threatening to “hijack” democracy.
"We need some of our big birds to get off the wire," the strategist said, noting that some wealthy donors have expressed concerns that they'll be "demonized" if they give to one of the Democratic Super PACs.
So far, Priorities USA Action has had relatively little success in raising funds, reporting last week that it had collected just $4.4 million through the end of last year. A Priorities official said it had raised another $2.3 million via a 501(c)4 arm that doesn’t have to disclose donors. (The Karl Rove-Ed Gillespie-led groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS have a similar set up and has raised far more money.)
That $6.7 million is compared to the $30 million raised by Restore Our Future and the $51 million reported raised by American Crossroads and its non-profit, non-disclosed affiliate Crossroads GPS.
The pro-Obama group did report a handful of big checks, including $2 million from Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, $1 million from the SEIU labor union, $100,000 from director Steven Spielberg, and others.
While individual donors can only give $2,500 a piece to official campaign committees, the Super PACs can collect unlimited donations from individuals, corporations, and labor unions. Priorities USA Action also reported last week that $215,000 of its operating expenses were being paid by its non-profit affiliate -- called Priorities USA -- which like Crossroads GPS, does not disclose its donors.
"As much as [David] Axelrod hates to give up this part of the president's message,” the strategist said, “most voters are pretty cynical about this stuff and don't much care.”
*** UPDATE *** Priorities spokesman Bill Burton disputes the notion that Priorities is an "illegal operation."
"We of course are abiding by all appropriate rules and laws," Burton said.
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I call for a one time, not-to-be exceeded, $1MM allowance for campaign funds regardless of where it comes from. That's it. If you pay more, you get Favre's bluejeans. And if you get those jeans, you need to declare them and pay taxes on them. Because, as Favre says in his ad, "You can pay more, but you won't get more".
Why don't we just put the White House up for bid on Ebay?
We do that every four years. It's called an election. If your remark has to do with getting all the special interest money out of politics in general, I agree with you. Us poor voters don't even get noticed with all the cash flying around.
Listen to all the GOP & Teabaggers R the party of No: No & Newt: that wants to go to the moon. & Mitt: sending his money off shore, so he doesn't have to pay Taxes. Its all about the Wealthy getting richer and the middle class getting poorer.....They don't want to help out the poor, I do mean the poor not the lazy good for nothings...Who are the one's that leach off the taxpayer. They: are the Wealthy that get welfare both for themselves or for the Corps.TRUE So really All party are at fault...But it seems that the Wealthy get away with it like the .(.Democrat )... They steal billions and the few poor steals a few thousands. So what does the GOP want to do is Screw the MIddle Class to get even with the few. As I say its the me me me and F everyone else.... The failures of the Republicans party trying to take away SS and Medicare so they can give their wealthy Blackmailers more money... To hell with the Poor and Needy. Let them freeze in the winter and stave the Old and Babies,let them die from bad water, do away with the EPA and thats what you'll have, just like all you Teabaggers want..T.You make me sick with your Me Me Me altitude. It just a matter of time before the masses raise up against you . Greedy and you all call yourself Christains. What a laugh: Your no better than all the Muslims you all hate. Wake up America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WAKE UP.
What a crock. If you need a government to save you, start working your way up to the surface of your murky pond all by yourself. Breathe the clean air of freedom and self- responsibility at the surface. Then either climb out, or sink. But do NOT expect help unless you have done everything in your power to save yourself. And even then, know that the funds are limited and someone in worse shape may be saved before you. Get it?
I already have fool I've seen thru all your BS
It would be amazing if Amazeing had a clue. Amazeing would do well to go back to school to at least learn how to spell. My goodness, the left is stupid.
amazeing - Your outlook on life is what is amazing to me. Get a grip on reality dude.
I left the E to see if an Idiot like you would see it.....
O.K. amazeing, I will play for a moment, do you actually have an idea about life that makes any sense, or do you just like getting your rocks off crying about how your type are abused by the rich & powerful? I realize that some types enjoy their sadomasochism.
And, so that there is no misunderstanding of where I am coming from, the best campaigning comes from personal appearances including whistle stops. If you need more $, you are disqualified. No more wealthy statesmen; just earnest hopefuls that are not bouyed by money - only passion.
All the Superpacs need to be investigated. Dont tell me Newts not talking to his superpac and directing the money. They are all a bunch of crooks.
Now that we have the rich and powerful Superpacs running our elections and picking our politicians we can declare our democracy dead. Politicians will have to bow to the pressure from their Superpacs rich contributors, big oil and large corporations. The rich and powerful have succeeded along with the Supreme court in taking away the voice of the middle class. The superpacs will tell the politicians what to say to get elected and what to do once elected if they want money for the next cycle of elections. Oh well, Democracy was a great experiment.
You "must believe in the tooth fairy" to believe that any of the Super Pacs are separate from the candidates.
The only TRUE super pac in The Stephen Colbert Super Pac!
I am 45 years old a recently laid off now making half of my former wages on unemployment while looking for a job. Not a one of these politicians represents me or most people like me. How is a guy worth 200 million looking out for us?
What they are doing is legal which means in order to level the playing field and get big money out, the law needs to be changed... but who would do that? Why would politicians cut off their gravy train? Not gonna happen.
Everyone is a crook so why waste your time...@!$%#
Why hell yes, all of the candidates are in communication with their Super PACs and if the full truth be known, the candidates' campaigns are directing their every move. Influence and instruction can be easier laundered than money and in this case, both are dripping wet from the wash. Only the most totally naive would believe otherwise. But there's not a lot that can be done under the present structure. Elections are for sale ~ just as the candidates are.
I do not think you can get rid of superpacs. But ,lets get some disclosure. Who gives how much. Make it totally public. All must be posted on a website for everyone to see. If news stations report on one they have to report on another. The amount of money on this is crazy for both sides. The problem is that people actually listen to the crap these PACS put out. They do not read.
This is a subject that all of us can be against. It is not Dem or Repub. Contact your representative. Send questions on this and make your feelings heard to the candidates. I would not believe for one minute if either Romney or Obama would say that they wish they did not have to use that money. Money is money to them. They are owned and do not believe otherwise.
Obama charged that GOP groups, fueled with “special interest” money, were threatening to “hijack” democracy.// To hijack democracy ! We done been hijacked ! What do we do ? One side wants to hijack democracy the other side wants us to be socialists. I get it !
Special interest money is very one sided yes it is it only exist on the right not the left.
What a really ignorant statement.
The devil on the right and the angel on the left it is spooky ehh. you must believe in the tooth fairy," Wertheimer said.
Do you really believe that the left does not take PAC money or does not even want to take PAC money. There are just as many Cronies on the left as there are on the right.
Much ado over nothing. One side spends, the other side spends, everybody petitions their representatives one way or another. This idea that you can make it simple and cheap and whatever is a simpletons pipe dream.
All that Fred Wertheimer and others like him might do is drive all the spending and influence completely underground. A much worse situation than a super PAC.
"illegal operations" because of their close ties to the candidates they are backing.// Close ties to the people backing you uhuh. They usually have backers that do not know who they are ehh. what a scandal. Next time just throw money in the air and let them fight for it winner takes all. No affiliation to any backers at all. Problem SOLVED !
We call ourselves a democracy.
Candidates raising millions, if not billions, in order to get elected, is enough proof that we have lost anything resembling democracy. Both parties are guilty of this mockery and, to top it all, now that the sages of the Supreme Court decided that corporations are "people" we can really say goodbye to fair elections.
We are in the hands of the corporations, who represent the famous, or infamous, 1% of the population and who hold in their hands the destiny of the populace who believe they are voting to elect who they want.
Democracy? Please.
I have a close affiliation with the American people they all know me so they can not give any money to uhh wait a second here are they serious ?
Ahhhh... America .. Where we "THINK" we have a free society. In reality .. the politicians have all the power. We just fund their idiocy without any say.
Both parties should be ashamed - of their candidates.
Elections are a waste of money - just give the election to the highest bidder.
Traffic, I agree totally, except when you say that "politicians have all the power" and it should read "those who pay and own the politicians have all the power."
The politicians are just their tools to achieve their goals.
As I said before: Democracy? Please.
Politicians could change the system if they chose to. But because they are the benefactors ... the system will stay corrupt. Politicians do have the power to make the difference ... they could not accept funding and deny selling influence. They could .. for once ... do what's right for the american people. But they won't... why should they ... the us citizen is weak, naive and blind to what's around them.
I got my money from bankers and he got it from money launderers and tooth fairies.
"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from
men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who
deal not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily
by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but
protect them against you, you may know that your society is doomed." . Ayn
Rand
Mitt is clean as a whistle the media has done a lie detector test on him and it reads inconclusive. Obama pleaded the fifth. The man is a class act.
Dude, you spend way too much time on your computer.
Wertheimer, want's Holder to investigate wow!!!
How's Fast and Furious going?
Holder is as crooked as obama!!!
Holder is not a crook. Just ask him. He actually thinks he holds too high of a position for anyone to ask him questions or to question the honesty of his answers. He has stated that directly in Congressional hearings
Get rid of these ridiculous things. Reverse the Supreme Court decision that allows them. Until you do that there are no fair elections, no Republic, no elements of the America laid out Constitution whatsoever. You are more like a facsist plutocracy right now. Your Founding Fathers and WWII vets are rolling in their graves.
yeah kind of rediculous to think Obama would take money from people he has close ties with but then where did Obama come from again ? Obama is squeaky clean and does not need to prove anything.