Left In Lowell

AMERICAblog explains. The very system McCain cobbled together (a somewhat toothless, leaking system) for campaign finance reform is now something he, himself, is in violation of. You see, he wasn’t raising a whole lotta cash last summer when his campaign was floundering, so he opted into the campaign finance system, and took out loans using future matching funds he would get under campaign finance law as collateral. Now, he’s claiming he used other collateral for that loan, but the FEC has already told him he can’t opt out right now, they would have to gather for a ruling. One would think a Bush FEC would give McCain a pass (don’t they always help their buddies?), but the FEC doesn’t have a quorum anymore, so they can’t review a ruling, so McCain, who raised and spent in February more than the cap he agreed to, is in violation of the campaign finance laws.

There are big fines and up to five years in prison for violating these laws. Let’s see if anyone in the Bush-molded Justice Department actually investigates.