By Jim Tankersley
A group of Barack Obama supporters in Ohio have filed a formal complaint to the Federal Elections Commission, asking the nation’s top campaign finance regulators to investigate and potentially shut down – and prosecute – an outside group that has pledged to run advertisements boosting Hillary Clinton in Ohio and Texas.
As Mark Naymik reported in the Plain Dealer of Cleveland, Ohio, earlier today, a Cleveland lawyer and Obama backer (who was a failed candidate for Ohio attorney general in 2006) named Subodh Chandra filed the complaint on behalf of three low-income Ohioan Obama supporters. The complaint alleges the pro-Clinton American Leadership Project, which is organized as a so-called “527” group that is set up to advocate on political issues, violates campaign finance laws because the only issue it appears to advocate is … Hillary Clinton’s election.
“The project’s exclusive purpose (is) to support Senator Clinton’s campaign through the funding and airing of sham issue ads,” the complaint alleges — and to allow “maxed-out” financial supporters to circumvent federal election rules and continue to help Clinton.
The complaint says the Leadership Project should have registered as a political committee and been subject to federal fundraising limits. It requests “an expedited civil investigation, fines, immediate injunctive relief to prevent irreparable tainting of the primaries and, if appropriate, a referral for criminal investigation.”
The Obama campaign complained about the Leadership Project earlier this week but said it would leave any FEC complaints up to others.