UPDATE: McCain violates McCain-Feingold – IOKIYAR

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

We told you back on October 20th that McCain violates McCain-Feingold by paying for ads for congressional candidate Ruth McClung:

The DCCC has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, because two out of three laws seem to have been broken here:

• If this was coordinated with the McClung and Kelly campaigns, then McCain violated the contribution limits in terms of what he can provide as an in-kind contribution to McClung's campaign; or
• If it was a truly independent expenditure, not in any way coordinated with the recipient campaigns, then McCain has failed to report these independent expenditures to the FEC, which in turn would require McCain to certify, under penalty of perjury, "as to whether such expenditure was made in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of a candidate;" and
• Federal law is absolutely explicit* that McCain's campaign committee is only allowed to support one candidate: himself.

When Democrats complained that John McCain's Senate campaign was illegally spending its money to back Raul Grijalva's opponent Ruth McClung, McCain whipped out docs showing he had filed with the FEC to make the independent expenditure. The Arizona McMedia simply took his word for it without looking into the campaign finance laws implicated. "Okey-dokey Johnny, whatever you say!," and they killed the story.

Well, not so fast. Some real reporters at the Huffington Post bothered to inquire into the campaign finance laws implicated and come to a different conclusion. HUFFPOST HILL – OCTOBER 27TH, 2010:

EXCLUSIVE: MCCAIN FLAGRANTLY BREAKING HIS OWN LAW – When Democrats complained that John McCain's Senate campaign was illegally spending its money to back Raul Grijalva's opponent Ruth McClung, McCain whipped out docs showing he had filed with the FEC to make the independent expenditure. But that means he can't coordinate with the McClung campaign. HuffPost Hill snagged an email from the McClung camp to activists urging them to come into the McClung headquarters to do phone banking. The contact they give is a McCain staffer, Mike Sistak. It'd be difficult to define coordination any more clearly than that. Andrew Herman, a top election law attorney, calls the flagrant coordination "absurd" and "ridiculous." "It's certainly not within the letter and spirit of the law that bears the name of Mr. McCain," he said. 

(McClung's camp says they're paying for half the costs of the office and that the staffer was listed as a matter of convenience to activists.)

As always, here in Arizona IOKIYAR. The McMedia is John McCain's base.

* 2 USC Sec. 432. Organization of political committees.