Update: It’s the Fiesta Bowl on line one – they want their money back!

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

At least that's the way I imagine the phone call. This is followed by major butt-pucker on the other end.

The Arizona Republic reports today Fiesta Bowl asks 26 politicians, PACs to return donations:

The Fiesta Bowl, as part of its effort to reform its image and protect is non-profit status, is asking 26 politicians and political-action committees to reimburse it nearly $50,000 for what the bowl says were illegal campaign contributions.

The bowl this week sent letters to those who received the contributions, including U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl and Gov. Jan Brewer, requesting the reimbursements. The donations date from 2000, when the bowl began seeking political help from elected officials.

The bowl has said there is no indication any of the recipients, whether politicians or entities, knew that the contributions were given improperly or were potentially illegal.

Funds returned to the bowl will be given to non-profit charities benefiting youths or education in Arizona, the bowl said.

Bowl officials sent copies of the letters and a spreadsheet, showing who gave and received the contributions, to Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, whose office manages elections, and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, who is investigating politicians who received improper gifts from the bowl.

The Arizona Republic on Tuesday obtained a copy of the spreadsheet and the bowl's cover letters to Bennett and Montgomery.

* * *

"The Fiesta Bowl is obligated under the law to recover funds from political candidates and their entities that received contributions that the Fiesta Bowl improperly reimbursed," Nathan Hochman, an attorney for the bowl, said in an interview. "We have no choice but to follow this path, and we trust that others will simply honor their obligations under the law."

In his letter to Bennett and Montgomery, Hochman wrote that the Fiesta Bowl as a tax-exempt organization is "broadly prohibited from intervening in a political campaign by making direct, indirect or in-kind contributions." The bowl is working with the Internal Revenue Service to protect its tax-exempt status as a non-profit organization.

The IRS has not commented on the matter.

Doug Cole, a partner at the lobbying and political consulting firm HighGround — which ran Brewer's campaign and runs the governor's office — called the bowl's request "unconscionable." Seriously? "It appears the Fiesta Bowl committee is trying to make their problem other peoples' problem now," Cole said. "It appears they (bowl officials) may have violated the law; and now, it appears they want the governor to violate the law, too. They are asking the governor of the state of Arizona to take action that there is no clear legal path for her or any other candidate to take."

HighGround lobbied on behalf of the Fiesta Bowl while also running Brewer's campaign, which the bowl is now asking to return $560. HighGround was at the center of this scandal — how's the line about "those who live in glass houses" go? It's pretty damn cheeky to claim this request is "unconscionable." Maybe the bowl's lobbyists should be required to pay back the money.

Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who the bowl said received $410 in illegal campaign contributions, indicated Tuesday that he does not believe he is obligated to pay the campaign contributions back.

You're shocked, I'm sure. It does not appear that Secretary of State Ken Bennnett is going to take any action:

Bennett confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he had received official notification that the bowl was asking various candidates to reimburse $48,225 in past campaign donations. But he said he could find nothing in Arizona statutes requiring those elected officials to pay back the money.

"I am not sure how they (bowl officials) expect any of these candidates to reimburse monies that were accepted in good faith," Bennett said. "We are only now finding out that the Fiesta Bowl made these inappropriate reimbursements (to their employees)."

Bennett, a Republican who received $350 in Fiesta donations in 2001 while campaigning for the Arizona Senate, said his campaign committee, like those of most other candidates, has long since been disbanded. He said he does not believe he is obligated, nor does he intend, to repay the bowl from personal funds.

"There are no funds in the (campaign) committee," Bennett said. "I don't understand why (the bowl) believes the candidates are somehow personally responsible for their potentially illegal actions."

There are rules for federal candidates. They will have to pay back the money:

Julia Queen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Election Commission, said if a congressional candidate finds out he or she received an illegal contribution, it must be refunded or given to the U.S. Treasury.

The largest contributions from Fiesta Bowl employees went to McCain and his PACs, according to documents obtained by the newspaper. The bowl's spreadsheet indicates McCain received $12,500, while two of his PACs, Patriot First and Straight Talk America, received a combined $7,000.

Brooke Buchanan, Sen. John McCain's spokeswoman, said McCain's campaigns donated $24,500 on March 31 to three Boys & Girls Clubs in Arizona, based on previous disclosed reports on contributions from Fiesta Bowl employees. [Good for him.]

Queen said she did not know if donating money to charity would be a proper disgorgement of illegal funds.

The bowl also is seeking $3,000 from Kyl, whose office did not return calls for comment.

Just pay it back, Dude.