The Federal Election Commission Friday sued the National Republican Senatorial Committee, accusing making illegal contributions totaling millions of dollars to GOP Senate candidates in 1986.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, came after the NRSC refused to accept a penalty that would require it to pay the federal government up to $2.7 million it had collected from individuals and improperly turned over to the Republican candidates.In court papers, the FEC says the committee exceeded lawful contribution limits through a scheme in which it promised to "earmark" solicited individual donations for 12 candidates but then funneled the funds to Republicans it determined needed them most.
The suit says that in some cases candidates received tens of thousands of dollars in excess of federal limits, which cap at $17,500 the amount that political committees may contribute to federal candidates.