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Bob Biersack
Kelly Huff
George Smaragdis
Michelle Ryan
FEC COMPLETES ACTION ON TWO ENFORCEMENT CASES
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Election Commission has recently made public action on two matters previously under review (MURs). In MUR 5682, the Commission found no reason to believe the respondents made or received corporate contributions because the Bachmann for Congress committee paid a fee to EdWatch, Inc. for a mailing list and Renee Doyle, the President of EdWatch, acted in her personal capacity when she endorsed the Bachmann campaign.
In MUR 5455, the Commission dismissed the complaint because this matter would require considerable resources to investigate with only very limited prospects for identifying the party that made the calls.
This release contains only disposition information.
(a) Bachmann for Congress, Joe Droogsma, treasurer
(b) Renee T. Doyle, President, EdWatch, Inc.
(c) EdWatch, Inc.
COMPLAINANT:
Karl Bremer
SUBJECT:
Corporate contributions
DISPOSITION:
(a-c) No reason to believe*
[re: corporate contribution]
The complaint alleged that EdWatch, Inc., a nonprofit corporation made, and Bachman for Congress knowingly received, a prohibited corporate contribution by providing a mailing list to the committee and that Renee Doyle, the President of EdWatch, Inc., endorsed Ms. Bachman’s candidacy. The Commission found no reason to believe the respondents violated the law because the committee paid for the mailing list and Ms. Doyle acted in her personal capacity when she made the endorsement.
Randy Frederick, Chairman, South Dakota Republican Party
SUBJECT:
Disclaimer
DISPOSITION:
Dismiss the matter.
The complainant alleged that telephone calls made to voters throughout the state of South Dakota in May of 2004 that targeted then-Congressional candidate Larry Diedrich and his record as a state senator had no disclaimer or other attribution to any entity, political committee or individual.
5455 under case numbers in the Enforcement Query System. They are also available in the FEC’s Public Records Office at 999 E St. NW in Washington.
There are four administrative stages to the FEC enforcement process:
1. Receipt of proper complaint
3. “Probable cause” stage
2. “Reason to believe” stage
4. Conciliation stage
It requires the votes of at least four of the six Commissioners to take any action. The FEC can close a case at any point after reviewing a complaint. If a violation is found and conciliation cannot be reached, then the FEC can institute a civil court action against a respondent.