[Vision2020] Sali, Minnick Both Face Campaign Finance Issues

[Tom Hansen]

"Among the contributions [to Rep. Sali] for which the FEC said notices 
were missing was $3,000 from the National Crystal Sugar Company PAC on May 
13; $1,000 from the ExxonMobil PAC on May 22; $1,000 from Halliburton 
Company PAC on May 13; $1,000 from the Marathon Oil Company Employees PAC 
on May 19; and $1,950 from the National Rifle Association of America 
Political Victory Fund on May 22."

Halliburon?
ExxonMobil?
Marathon Oil Company?

All these unreported (or reported late with amended filings) contributions 
to Rep. Bill Sali who voted against veterans twice and against Idaho 
education three times?

See for yourself at:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes.xpd?person=412201
 
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>From the October 29, 2008 edition of the Spokesman Review -

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Sali, Minnick both face campaign finance issues
By Betsy Z. Russell
Staff writer
 
 
FEC Letter to Sali
http://spokesmanreview.com/media/pdf/20081028_sali_fecletter.pdf
 

BOISE – Idaho Rep. Bill Sali has run into more problems with his Federal 
Election Commission campaign finance filings.

The freshman congressman’s campaign downplays the issue, and says it’ll be 
resolved. Meanwhile, his Democratic challenger, Walt Minnick, also has run 
into problems with his own FEC filings, though the amounts involved are 
smaller.

The FEC says Sali didn’t file the required reports within 48 hours for a 
dozen large PAC contributions he received shortly before the primary 
election. All of the contributions were for $1,000 or more, and were 
received in May.

Contributions of $1,000 or more that are received within 20 days before an 
election must be reported within 48 hours; both Sali and Minnick have been 
filing numerous such reports in the past two weeks.

“The failure to file 48-hour notices may result in civil money penalties 
or legal enforcement action,” the FEC warned Sali in a letter, and 
demanded a response by Nov. 24.

Sali campaign manager Jonathan Parker said at least one of the 
contributions actually was reported on a 48-hour report in May. “We are 
still going through our documents to find the others, but we’re confident 
those were filed appropriately as well,” Parker said.

Among the contributions for which the FEC said notices were missing was 
$3,000 from the National Crystal Sugar Company PAC on May 13; $1,000 from 
the ExxonMobil PAC on May 22; $1,000 from Halliburton Company PAC on May 
13; $1,000 from the Marathon Oil Company Employees PAC on May 19; and 
$1,950 from the National Rifle Association of America Political Victory 
Fund on May 22.

The FEC also asked Sali’s campaign to amend reports to clear up 
discrepancies between beginning and ending balances from one report to the 
next; and to correct figures showing how much each contributor has donated 
to date.

The federal agency also sent similar letters to Minnick, citing similar 
discrepancies. Instead of missing 48-hour notices, however, the letters to 
Minnick cited errors of between $50 and $500 in calculations of five 
individual contributors’ contributions to date for the election cycle.

Bob Biersack, FEC spokesman, said, “We send thousands of those letters 
every cycle.”

The Minnick campaign has received four such letters since July 15, and has 
filed four amended reports. The Sali campaign has received six such 
letters since July 15 and has filed seven amended reports.

The Sali campaign also reported in its latest 48-hour notice receiving a 
$5,000 contribution from one individual, Emmett rancher Harry Bettis, 
though the contribution limit for individuals is $2,300 per election. 
Biersack said campaigns have up to 60 days to refund excessive 
contributions, or, at the contributor’s direction, redesignate excessive 
funds toward debt from previous election cycles.

“In the meantime, under FEC rules, we cannot use amounts in excess of the 
$2,300 limit,” Parker said.

Wayne Hoffman, Sali campaign spokesman, said, “The finance reports are 
important and you file those on time and you make them as accurate as you 
possibly can, and you go back and you fix ‘em. But we’re not going to sit 
here and have discussions about what Walt Minnick filed and what he didn’t 
file, and we haven’t. This is a campaign about issues.”

Minnick’s campaign couldn’t be reached for comment.

Sali’s campaign has now filed 48 amended campaign finance reports in two 
years. Minnick has filed seven since he entered the race a year ago.

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Seeya at the polls, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college 
students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."

- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)


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