ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT TO PAY FINE FOR ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
The Federal Election Commission announced on December 16, 2003 that it reached an agreement with Attorney
General John Ashcroft's 2000 Campaign and his PAC (Spirit of America PAC) concerning the allegations that his campaign broke
the very laws that the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission are required to enforce. Of course, Ashcroft's
campaign and his PAC denied any wrongdoing, but they also refused to fight the issue or claim that the FEC was wrong in its
assessment of illegal conduct.
Under the scheme engaged in by Ashcroft's Senate campaign, the campaign received about $110,000 illegally
in fees for the use of a mailing list developed by Ashcroft's PAC and violated two federal laws in the process according to
the majority vote of the Federal Elections Commission. First, the Ashcroft Campaign violated the law by taking donations from
a PAC in excess of the $5, 000 maximum limit on contributions - they exceeded the limit by $105,000. Second, the Ashcroft
Campaign did not report the contribution.
Documents and letters signed by Ashcroft also demonstrate his active participation in what the Commission found
to be illegal campaign contributions.
So there you have it folks! The TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL in the United States appointed
by Bush will not admit his breaking of the law and he still gets to be Attorney General! Can you imagine the what the press
and the republicans would say if Janet Reno had jaywalked across Pennsylvania Avenue on her way to work?
It is time that Ashcroft resign! If you want to let him know, write to him at AskDOJ@usdoj.gov or phone him at 202-353-1555. Just send John a friendly email asking
him whether he will resign before or after the first of the year (we wouldn't want to ruin his Christmas since he is
an evangelical Christian and leads a prayer each morning for his staff at the DOJ).