blogger interrupted

UPDATE:  Eric at Plunderbund notes that this has been an ongoing strategy, reporting on it goes back to April.  

It’s not the first time they’ve done this. Not at all. It’s been a campaign strategy in the general from word go it appears.

I’m pretty sure this is the first McCain fundraising email to emerge with this explicit ask.

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Here’s a fundraising email from the John McCain campaign for an event at the home of Liz & Brent Crawford in Dublin Ohio, August 6, paid for by the McCain campaign, on McCain campaign letterhead, making two illegal asks to donors of $10,000 and $50,000.  

In the email, the McCain campaign, in very fine print, explains to donors that their $10,000 and $50,000 will be sent here, there, everywhere, so it’s all legal.

Money laundering fine print.

Contributions to McCain Victory Ohio (”MVO”) are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income-tax purposes. MVO allocates contributions to John McCain 2008 (”JM 2008″), John McCain 2008 General Election Compliance Fund (”Compliance Fund”), the Ohio Republican Party, and the Republican National Committee (”RNC”). Unless a contribution would exceed federal limits or a contributor designates otherwise, MVO will divide contributions as follows:

· For Individuals-The first $2,300 to JM 2008, the next $2,300 to the Compliance Fund, the next $10,000 to the Ohio Republican Party’s federal account, and the next $28,500 to the RNC.

· For Federal Multicandidate PACs-The first $5,000 to JM 2008, the next $5,000 to the Compliance Fund, the next $5,000 to the Ohio Republican Party’s federal account, and the next $15,000 to the RNC.

Contributions to the Compliance Fund will be used solely for legal and accounting services to ensure compliance with federal law and not for campaign activities. Compliance funds may defray a portion of broadcast advertising, national and state office “overhead”, and computer/website expenses. Contributions from corporations, labor unions, federal contractors, and foreign nationals without permanent residency status to MVO are prohibited. 

Yup.  That’s money laundering!  A Kos diarist noted this July 16.

McCain, whose campaign is predicting a campaign budget of $400 million through the November 4, is skillfully exploiting loopholes in a campaign finance law that he wrote.

Here’s the nuts-and-bolts of the loophole: the money McCain is currently raising through the campaign committees which reported their quarterly results on July 15 is actually being funneled to the Republican National Committee, even though each campaign committee bears McCain’s name.

There are two reasons why the money is transferred to the RNC. First, if it were not transferred to the RNC, the money could not be used in the general. Second, by raising the money for the RNC, McCain is able to take advantage of a much higher contribution limits, allowing each donor to contribute $70,000 to his campaign instead of the $2,300 limit that Barack Obama’s general election campaign has.

This process is of course, entirely legal as described by the Kos diarist.  What is NOT legal is for the candidate, John McCain, to himself ask donors for an illegal amount, imply they are for a McCain event, make the ask on McCain letterhead, in an email ask paid for by the McCain campaign, for an event hosted by the McCain campaign.  

So if I were going to Liz and Brent Crawford’s house at 6028 Dublin Rd. in Dublin Ohio on August 6, I’d watch out for some uninvited guests.  Perhaps media.  Perhaps someone else.