FEC to Kucinich: Pay $137,358

FEC to Kucinich: Pay $137,358
Posted by Sabrina Eaton March 08, 2007 11:28AM
Categories: Breaking News

Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign will have to repay the federal government $137,358 for using federal matching funds for campaign purposes when he was ineligible to do so, and for failing to adequately document small contributions received at several "pass the hat" type fundraising events, the Federal Elections Commission decided today.

The unanimous FEC decision came after a routine audit of Kucinich's campaign finance reports showed that Kucinich used federal matching funds for campaign purposes after March 4, 2004, when poor showings in several consecutive primaries disqualified him from campaigning with money he'd already received from the federal government.

"Most campaigns end up having to repay some public funds," said FEC spokesman Bob Biersack, adding that Kucinich could have used the federal money for purposes other than campaigning, like shutting down his campaign offices.

Even though he trailed in every 2004 primary, the FEC found that Kucinich continued to use federal money for campaigning until the Democratic party officially made John Kerry its presidential candidate on July 29, 2004. After March 4, the law allowed him to use only privately collected money for campaign purposes.

Most of the money Kucinich will have to repay - $135,518 - is for improperly spending federal matching funds. The $1,840 remainder is for improperly documenting small campaign contributions.

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http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/03/kucinich_2004_prez_campaign_mu.html