FEC reaches deal with three 527 groups on fines for campaigning without registering
AP reports: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and MoveOn.org Voter Fund, two outside groups that played key roles in the 2004 presidential election, reached an agreement with the Federal Election Commission to pay nearly $450,000 for various violations.
The two groups, along with the League of Conservation Voters, settled charges that they failed "to register and file disclosure reports as federal political committees and accepted contributions in violation of federal limits and source prohibitions," the FEC said in a statement Wednesday.
The commission approved the three settlements on a vote of 6-0. ...
The FEC concluded that the three 527 organizations violated campaign finance laws because they expressly stated their desire to influence the presidential election in their fundraising, their public statements or their advertisements. Such activity, the FEC said, could only be conducted by political committee registered with the FEC that abide by contribution limits and public disclosure requirements. -- BostonHerald.com - National Politics: Political groups to pay campaign fines
Rick Hasen has an analysis of the agreements here. Bob Bauer had this short analysis (with more to come later on the blog or in court, I expect).