Smith: Merkley TV ads break campaign finance law
Jeff Merkley is pictured in this image from a recent political advertisement. By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) _ Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's campaign is filing complaints with the Federal Election Commission charging that Democrat Jeff Merkley and the state Democratic party are trying to circumvent federal law to give Merkley more money for advertising. Merkley appears in two new TV ads talking about his record on crime and veterans issues. The ads are paid for by the Oregon Democratic Party, and Merkley claims they are not intended to help him get elected. Watch the ads in question below: Smith's campaign calls that assertion laughable. "Jeff Merkley is choosing to violate federal campaign laws because he apparently believes he won't get caught until after the election," said Brooks Kochvar, Smith's campaign manager. "Jeff Merkley would have us believe he appeared in ads ... that have nothing to do with his candidacy for U.S. Senate. It is laughable, ridiculous and illegal." Merkley, the Oregon House speaker, does not have as much campaign money as Smith, a Republican seeking his third term. Smith's campaign says the two ads are thinly disguised efforts to skirt campaign finance law by appearing in so-called "issue" ads that do not advocate the defeat or election of a specific candidate. In that way, Merkley can receive virtually unlimited help from the state party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which helps Democratic Senate candidates across the country. "Jeff Merkley has not had the resources to run campaign ads of his own. He is finding a way to violate federal election law so that he can get television advertising on as we go through the summer months," Kochvar said. The campaign filed a complaint about the veterans ad on Wednesday and plans to file one about the crime ad on Thursday, Kochvar said Merkley's campaign spokesman, Matt Canter, denied any wrongdoing. State Democrats asked Merkley to participate in the ads "because it was under Jeff Merkley's leadership that Democrats delivered services to veterans and the enacted the toughest anti-crime measures in the nation," Canter said. The ads referred to laws aimed at methamphetamine use and child predators. Smith wants to avoid talking about issues, "so he will continue to concoct absurd legal campaigns to distract Oregonians," Canter added. Marc Siegel, a spokesman for Oregon Democrats, echoed Canter's remarks. "There's no better spokesman on these issues — fighting for veterans and fighting crime — than Speaker Merkley. He passed incredible legislation to benefit veterans and fight crime, and that's why he was asked to speak on these issues," Siegel said. Asked if the ads had anything to do with Merkley's campaign for U.S. Senate, Siegel repeated: "There's no better spokesman on these issues than the man who pushed this legislation through the Legislature." Siegel called Smith's FEC complaints "a political act of desperation, revealing how vulnerable Gordon Smith is." Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the DSCC, the national campaign group for Senate Democrats, said the DSCC helped pay for the ads through contributions for "party-building activities" such as issue ads and get-out-the-vote efforts. He and Siegel both declined to say how much the ads costs or how long they would run. The Smith campaign says Democrats spent about $440,000 for the two ads. The veterans ad began running statewide last week, while the crime ad began this week. Ken Gross, a former associate general counsel of the FEC, said it was not clear if the ads were illegal. Under the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, issue ads cannot use a candidate's name or picture within 60 days of an election — a timeframe that does not apply in this case. Still, Gross said it was "unusual to have a candidate appear in an issue ad or be the only one speaking in the ad," as Merkley does in both ads. "I can't think of another situation where the candidate appears in the ad, unless it is a snippet" of a speech or other public appearance, Gross said. Told of the Merkley's campaign's explanation — that Merkley played a leading role in the legislation as House speaker — Gross said, "He does have two hats." But Kochvar said the ads were clearly political. "If these are purely intended to be ads talking about what the state Legislature did, why is (Senate President) Peter Courtney not in it?" Kochvar asked. "He worked on the legislation too." ___ On the Net: Oregon Democrats ad ‥1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ffWu5myK8 Ore. Dems ad ‥2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA1DxiQOY60 |
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October 7, 2008
- Eugene, Oregon
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