Obama 2008 campaign fined $375,000

[Revmitchell]

By MAGGIE HABERMAN


01/04/2013 03:48 PM EST

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President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign was fined $375,000 by the Federal Election Commission for campaign reporting violations — one of the largest fees ever levied against a presidential campaign, POLITICO has learned.

The fine — laid out in detail in FEC documents that have yet to be made public — arose from an audit of the campaign, which was published in April. POLITICO obtained a copy of the conciliation agreement detailing the fine, which was sent to Sean Cairncross, the chief lawyer for the Republican National Committee, one of the groups that filed complaints about the campaign’s FEC reporting from 2008

Obama 2008 campaign fined $375,000

 

[InTheLight]

Old news. (Apparently not Fake News though, since it impugns a Demcrat.)

I suppose this is another flaccid "but...but...Obama" defense in light of the possibility of prosecutors characterizing Trump's hush money payoff to be an illegal campaign contribution.

 

[Adonia]

Look, we all know Democrats get a pass on all sorts of criminal dealings. The media is falling all over themselves with Manafort, Cohen, and Trump but they somehow cannot remember what the Dem politicos have done in the past.

 

[InTheLight]

Look, we all know Democrats get a pass on all sorts of criminal dealings. The media is falling all over themselves with Manafort, Cohen, and Trump but they somehow cannot remember what the Dem politicos have done in the past.

Yes.

NEWSFLASH--DEMOCRATS ARE HYPOCRITES!

 

[Aaron]

Okay. Fine Trump and let's move on.

 

[InTheLight]

Okay. Fine Trump and let's move on.

That would be the simplest way out of it.

However, perhaps Trump should argue that by paying Stormy Daniels and the other woman hush money he was not trying to influence the election, he was trying to NOT influence his wife. In other words, he did it to keep Melania from hearing about it.

After all, the damaging tape recording from Access Hollywood was already out there. The nation had already heard his crude talking. The nation already knew he had cheated on Ivana back in the early 90's. But they didn't know he allegedly had affairs while married to Melania. Trump could argue he paid these women to keep Melania from hearing about alleged affairs and it had nothing to do with the election. How could his alleged affairs hurt his chances in the election? There was so much dirt already out there. But it could hurt his marriage.

 

[carpro]

Old news. (Apparently not Fake News though, since it impugns a Demcrat.)

I suppose this is another flaccid "but...but...Obama" defense in light of the possibility of prosecutors characterizing Trump's hush money payoff to be an illegal campaign contribution.

Since the money came out of his own pocket, that's a real stretch.

 

[Reynolds]

That would be the simplest way out of it.

However, perhaps Trump should argue that by paying Stormy Daniels and the other woman hush money he was not trying to influence the election, he was trying to NOT influence his wife. In other words, he did it to keep Melania from hearing about it.

After all, the damaging tape recording from Access Hollywood was already out there. The nation had already heard his crude talking. The nation already knew he had cheated on Ivana back in the early 90's. But they didn't know he allegedly had affairs while married to Melania. Trump could argue he paid these women to keep Melania from hearing about alleged affairs and it had nothing to do with the election. How could his alleged affairs hurt his chances in the election? There was so much dirt already out there. But it could hurt his marriage.

Paying "hush money" was not for the election. He has done it long before he was a candidate. It was to protect the brand. There is nothing campaign related about it. I heard a U.S. representative say they would be coming after him for campaign violations soon. He was on the campaign trail and ran short of suits. He went out and bought a suit whose primary purpose was to be worn at a campaign rally and did not report it.

 

[Reynolds]

Since the money came out of his own pocket, that's a real stretch.

its all a stretch and a witch hunt. Shameful.

 

[carpro]

its all a stretch and a witch hunt. Shameful.

Could be that Trump will become the proverbial "ham sandwich", even though there is no evidence he did anything wrong.

 

[Reynolds]

Could be that Trump will become the proverbial "ham sandwich", even though there is no evidence he did anything wrong.

Can't charge a sitting President.

 

[carpro]

Can't charge a sitting President.

Since when do democrats care what the law says if it's standing in the way of their agenda?

Who's going to stop Mueller from seating a grand jury if he decides to do so?

 

[Aaron]

Can't charge a sitting President.

Can't have classified emails on a private server, either.

Can't swear out a warrant on an unverified dossier.

Can't run for President unless you're born on U.S. soil.

Shall I go on?

 

[Aaron]

That would be the simplest way out of it.

However, perhaps Trump should argue that by paying Stormy Daniels and the other woman hush money he was not trying to influence the election, he was trying to NOT influence his wife. In other words, he did it to keep Melania from hearing about it.

After all, the damaging tape recording from Access Hollywood was already out there. The nation had already heard his crude talking. The nation already knew he had cheated on Ivana back in the early 90's. But they didn't know he allegedly had affairs while married to Melania. Trump could argue he paid these women to keep Melania from hearing about alleged affairs and it had nothing to do with the election. How could his alleged affairs hurt his chances in the election? There was so much dirt already out there. But it could hurt his marriage.

It's lookin' like there's no campaign law violation after all.

 

[Gold Dragon]

1. Being late on reporting campaign contributions. Acknowledging the mistake, correcting it when notified and paying the fine.

2. Using your lawyer to use shell companies and proxy corporations to hide payments made weeks before an election to prevent information leaking that would be damaging to your campaign, denying it ever happened or that it was related to the campaign and then trying to shift blame from yourself onto your subordinate who you ordered to make the payments.

I don't really see a lot in common in these scenarios other than they will both involve FEC investigations.

It is like saying the person who got a parking ticket and paid his fine is just as bad as the guy who commits fraud and denies everything, blaming his secretary because both got in trouble with the police.

 

[Aaron]

1. Being late on reporting campaign contributions. Acknowledging the mistake, correcting it when notified and paying the fine.

2. Using your lawyer to use shell companies and proxy corporations to hide payments made weeks before an election to prevent information leaking that would be damaging to your campaign, denying it ever happened or that it was related to the campaign and then trying to shift blame from yourself onto your subordinate who you ordered to make the payments.

I don't really see a lot in common in these scenarios other than they will both involve FEC investigations.

It is like saying the person who got a parking ticket and paid his fine is just as bad as the guy who commits fraud and denies everything, blaming his secretary because both got in trouble with the police.

This narrative will disintegrate, too. Just wait.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

You could argue campaigning, in and of itself, is attempting to influence an election.

 

[Gold Dragon]

You could argue campaigning, in and of itself, is attempting to influence an election.

You don't need to argue it. It is by definition that campaigning is trying to influence an election. There is nothing illegal about attempting to influence an election if you follow the campaign laws agreed by the legal system which in the case of the US is through the legislative branch. Any politician serious about law and order would want to make sure those campaign laws are followed and violators are punished appropriately.

Election campaign definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
election campaign Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
Definition of CAMPAIGN

 

[carpro]

Any politician serious about law and order would want to make sure those campaign laws are followed and violators are punished appropriately.

I honestly can't remember the last time we had one of those...if ever. The only thing they are really serious about is getting elected and they don't mind cheating when it comes to campaign finance laws. All of them.

 

[Gold Dragon]

The people need to hold them accountable and make sure politicians are properly investigated and pay their fines like Obama's campaign did or go to jail if the severity of the offense warrants it. Don't let them get away with walking all over the laws your elected officials set up to protect you.