But I feel like there is less to this than meets the eye. After all, Tom DeLay has indicated he is leaving the political arena, so agreeing to fold the group fits with those plans.

The political action committee used as a vehicle to power in Congress by Representative Tom DeLay has agreed to pay $115,000 in fines for violations of federal campaign rules and will close its doors permanently, the Federal Election Commission said Thursday.

According to an agreement with the commission, Mr. DeLayÂ’s committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, agreed to the fines to settle accusations that it had failed to report more than $322,000 in debts and other obligations to its vendors and had misrepresented more than $240,000 in other financial activity in 2001 and 2002.

The pact did not provide a timetable for the shutdown of the committee, which for years was Mr. DeLayÂ’s chief fund-raising arm, allowing him to make millions of dollars in contributions to political allies who then supported his rise in the Republican leadership in Congress.

An audit last year disclosed problems -- though there appeared to be no wrong-doing on DeLay's part. The FEC has since changed teh rules that were violated on the grounds that they were confusing and at times contradictory -- with artificial distinctions between hard money and soft money and how each could be spent tripping up many groups. Campaign finance law experts also indicate that the amount of the fine was not unusual, which would further indicate taht any violations were not knowingly or willfully committed.

Posted by: Greg at 05:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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