‘Obama doesn’t weed out illegal cash’
US: The Republican Party on Sunday said Democratic presidential
candidate Barack Obama had not done enough to screen out illegal
campaign contributions and asked U.S. election officials to look into
the matter.
Citing news reports, the Republican National Committee said Obama had
accepted contributions from foreigners and taken more than the $2,300
maximum from donors who give in small increments. The Obama campaign
denied the charges.
The RNC said it will ask the Federal Election Commission to examine
Obama records in detail to determine the extent of the problem.
The Obama campaign could face fines if found guilty of violations by
the FEC, but any decision would likely come after he faces Republican
John McCain in the Nov. 4 presidential election.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the McCain campaign has had to
return over $1.2 million to donors who potentially violated the law with
their contributions, including money from foreign nationals.
“Our campaign has shattered fund-raising records with donations from
more than 2.5 million Americans. We have gone above and beyond the
transparency requirements,” Burton said.
“While no organization is completely protected from Internet fraud,
we will continue to review our fund-raising procedures to ensure that we
are taking every available to step to root-out improper contributions,”
he said.
Washington, Monday, Reuters
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