So what happens to Foley’s $2.7 Million Campaign Chest?
According to this article in the Seattle Times, there’s a very real possibility Foley will be able to use Campaign Money to pay his legal defense fees and PR bills. The article goes on to state:
Whether Foley will be able to spend his contributors’ donations on defense lawyers and publicists will depend on how the Federal Election Commission (FEC) interprets U.S. election law. But in a half-dozen legal opinions since 1995, commissioners have interpreted broadly the ability of candidates to use campaign funds to pay legal fees.The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 forbids candidates from converting campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as clothing, food, utility bills and mortgages. But legal fees can be different, if, as the FEC has ruled, they relate to a candidate’s campaign activities or “duties as a federal officeholder.”
In Foley’s case, “The question is: Was the sending of the e-mails and the instant messages part of Foley’s duties as an officeholder?” said Lawrence Noble, a Washington lawyer who was general counsel to the FEC from 1987-2000.
Geez, $2.7 Million might buy him a few hour’s of a top defense attorney’s time, and maybe even a few photocopies.
Now, does anyone dispute that Campaign Fund Reforms are NECESSARY? Sheesh.
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