Wednesday, January 31, 2007
10th District Blog Off the Hook
In a decision that should make political bloggers happy, the Federal Elections Commission denied a request for action for “failure to register and report” from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna against
· Tenth District Blog, www.illinois10.blogspot.comHere’s what the FEC press release said (more FEC information here):
· The Illinois – 10 General Election Fund, a project of ActBlue, Matthew DeBergalis, treasurer and
· The Committee to Elect Zane Smith, Barry J. Moltz, treasurer.
The complainant alleged that the Tenth District Blog expressly advocated the defeat of Congressman Mark Kirk (IL/10), solicited contributions for the campaigns of potential Democratic opponents, and failed to include a proper disclaimer on these communications.
The Tenth District Blog was established by an anonymous person using Google’s E-blogger software, which is offered free of charge. Both ActBlue and the Smith Committee denied any knowledge or contact with the Blog and stated that they had not received contributions from the Blog or through ActBlue. Based on available information, the Blog did not appear to have made expenditures or received any contributions that would trigger political committee status. The Commission found no reason to believe any of the respondents violated the Act.
Labels: 10th Congressional District, Blog, FEC, Political blog
