Where there's a will, there's a way

FEC Tells Lawmakers They Can
Give Westar Contributions to Charity
BNA Money & Politics Report
October 12, 2005

House lawmakers' campaign committees and political action committees instructed to give up tainted campaign contributions from executives of Westar Energy Inc.--most of them linked to Republicans--have been told by the Federal Election Commission that they can give the money to charity, according to spokespersons for the FEC and one of the members of Congress.

"We asked for and received permission" from the FEC to give the Westar contributions to local charities, Christie Applehanz, a spokeswoman for Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.), told BNA Oct. 11. That permission was given even though the committees receiving Westar money originally were instructed, pursuant to a recent FEC settlement, to disgorge the money to the U.S. Treasury.

FEC spokesman Bob Biersack told BNA that previous rulings in commission advisory opinions allowed the committees to give the Westar money to charity.

Several of the campaign committees and PACs caught up in the Westar matter have already moved to donate the money to various charities, according to news reports. Those include four Kansas GOP House campaigns and the campaign of Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves.

Except for the contributions to Moore, all of the Westar money went to committees linked to Republicans. The latest developments came as some Republican lawmakers are under pressure from Democrats to give up contributions from PACs controlled by the recently indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). DeLay and other House GOP leaders were instrumental in steering Westar contributions to selected candidates in 2002.

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Dubya Is Fredo reports that DeLay PAC contributions to Wisconsin Repubs were more pervasive than reported, totaling $80,000 to a flock of Rs in addition to Mark Green and Paul Ryan. Green and Ryan, who keep inventing new excuses to keep the DeLay money, received more than $55,000. If they wanted to divest themselves of the tainted money, there are any number of alternatives.