August 28th, 2009
02:40 PM ET
14 years ago

Palin's PAC forced to correct FEC filing

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/18/art.palin0818.gi.jpg caption=" Palin's PAC is correcting a number of FEC errors."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sarah Palin's political action committee violated federal election laws with two donations earlier this year and filed a mid-year report with a number of errors in it, according to the Federal Election Commission.

In a five-page letter to SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford, the FEC highlights a number of issues with the filed report, including donating more than is allowed to the reelection campaigns of Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski, as well as not providing proper descriptions on how some of the PAC's money was spent.

Contacted by CNN, Crawford said the committee was currently revising the report to fix the errors and said these types of mistakes are not uncommon with FEC filings.

"A million of these [correction letters] go out every month," Crawford said. "They send out a lot of them.

A spokesman for the FEC said its standard practice for all reports to be reviewed, but would not estimate how many PAC's usually have to file corrections.

Specifically, the FEC notes SarahPAC gave $5,000 to McCain and Murkowski's primary campaigns - $2,600 more than is allowed for a PAC of SarahPAC's designation to give to a primary effort. SarahPAC also designated the donation for the senators' 2009 primary when in fact the primaries are in 2010.

To fix the error, Crawford said the PAC will allocate $2,400 to the senators' primary campaigns and $2,400 to the general election effort as is allowed under election laws. The PAC has also obtained a $200 refund from both campaigns to make up the difference.

"We essentially gave $200 too much," Crawford said. "We have since redesignated with both committees."

Crawford attributed some of the mistakes to being a new PAC and also noted FEC software that was supposed to flag mistakes when reports are initially submitted showed no errors with their filing.

"We filed what we thought was perfectly right," Crawford said. "If there is a violation, the FEC won't accept the report, but ours was accepted with no warnings or violations."

SarahPAC has until September 24 to file an amended report.

Follow Alex Mooney on twitter @awmooneyCNN


Filed under: Sarah Palin
soundoff (301 Responses)
  1. FL for Change

    Sarah's supporters? Made a mistake? Just like ethics violations? Say it isn't so!!! This woman is not even worth calling "history"...more like a blip on a radar screen...

    August 28, 2009 12:58 pm at 12:58 pm |
  2. John

    Democratic machinery is unrelenting in going after Palin. The reason being is that Palin is a formidable political opponent that they fear most. It is so obvious all these tarnishings on her are craps.

    August 28, 2009 12:59 pm at 12:59 pm |
  3. David

    Please stop spending time on the Sarah Palin non-stories. It's a waste of everybody's time.

    August 28, 2009 01:00 pm at 1:00 pm |
  4. Really?

    For the love of God..pleaaaaaaase make her go away!

    August 28, 2009 01:00 pm at 1:00 pm |
  5. susieq

    Note to Sarah:

    The FEC has a website where there is a chart showing how much you can contribute. I, a middle aged grandmother who is neither a lawyer nor an accountant, found it easy to figure out. But of course, I do have an IQ, so that would work in my favor.
    And to anyone that believes the FEC sends out a million of these notices, I have a bridge to sell you.

    August 28, 2009 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |
  6. Mark in Omaha

    She is corrupt, I don't know why those Conservative lemmings can't see it. They'd rather follow her over a cliff than unify a Country.

    August 28, 2009 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |
  7. sandra

    This woman reared her head on TV several weeks ago and my pooch, Skippy, immediately squealed and bolted. True story. Maybe he knows what she does to his cousins.

    August 28, 2009 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |
  8. Dean

    We don't fear Sarah Palin. We just enjoy a good joke..keep talking Sarah

    August 28, 2009 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |
  9. Aviate

    Didn't the FEC get the memo? The rules don't apply to Republicans. They can lie, cheat, steal, threaten violence, provoke racial hatred, start wars, torture and, at the end of the day, call themselves good "Christians."

    Palin was just doing what Republicans do naturally. She's a shoo-in for 2012 nomination.

    August 28, 2009 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |
  10. An Independent

    Go moose hunting Sarah. I liked you at first and all you had to do is look good and keep your mouth shut....but you did not. You are an idiot and all the world knows it. Your Alaska governorship of 18 months is the farthest you will every go in American politics and we all thank God for that. Go home and continue your twitter...which is stupid and nonsense.

    August 28, 2009 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |
  11. stu

    Bad things happen when you follow an idiot anywhere.

    August 28, 2009 01:04 pm at 1:04 pm |
  12. James

    Joe Biden makes Sarah Palin look like a genious.

    August 28, 2009 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |
  13. Pepou

    CNN: Please. Stop wasting our time and yours with this woman. SHE IS A WASTE OF SPACE.

    August 28, 2009 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |
  14. MonRob

    Everything she touches turns to turd.

    August 28, 2009 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |
  15. Rick

    If CNN posts one more Sarah Palin non-story I'm done with CNN for good. Really getting sick of their liberal diarrhea.

    August 28, 2009 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |
  16. Failin' Bailin' Quittin' Palin, How Does Your Ignorance Grow?

    "as well as not providing proper descriptions on how some of the PAC's money was spent."

    Hmm ... Another new wardrobe for The Ice Chip of Wasilla?

    August 28, 2009 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |
  17. Jim

    FOX did not report this either. A Republican congresswoman apologized Thursday for saying that her party is looking for a "great white hope" to counteract President Obama's political agenda.

    August 28, 2009 01:08 pm at 1:08 pm |
  18. Kat

    Wow, a whole $200.00 error...That's big news. Let's compare that to Charlie Rangell's wrong IRS filings of 1/2 million. You know, basically CNN just put's Sarah Palin's name in a headline hoping to boost their ratings.

    August 28, 2009 01:08 pm at 1:08 pm |
  19. Vic

    Sarah must have done the report as she is a total airhead.

    August 28, 2009 01:08 pm at 1:08 pm |
  20. Moe

    The totality of Sara Palin's worth can be summed up by the street value of her slit on the open market in Vegas. Nothing more.

    she needs to just go away.

    August 28, 2009 01:09 pm at 1:09 pm |
  21. Johny

    Wow! I wonder what all the Palin haters would do if she was not in the news daily. Oh that's right, they would then have a reason to get off their rear-ends and work.

    August 28, 2009 01:09 pm at 1:09 pm |
  22. Ken in NC

    You people need to cut Sarah Palin some slack. She is doing the bestshe can but you need to realize that she is limited in her abilities to do the right thing. That disease, Republicanism, is a very bad thing.

    August 28, 2009 01:10 pm at 1:10 pm |
  23. Gary Swanson

    If I see one more "the Democrats are afraid of Sarah" post I don't think that I'll ever be able to contain my laughter. With all due respect the ex-governor of Alaska and Republican VP candidate showed herself to be far to ininformed, intellectually incapable to take on the responsibilites that a POTUS would face. Throw in the fact that she recigned in the middle of the first term to the last office that she was elected to I'd be absolutely stunned if she made it through the primaries much less a general election. To think that she's any kind of political threat to the current president is right on the cusp of delusional.

    August 28, 2009 01:10 pm at 1:10 pm |
  24. Mark

    Everything I hear about Palin is bad. Now, imagine if she was vice president. Exactly. She proves the case every day as to why she is not political material.

    August 28, 2009 01:13 pm at 1:13 pm |
  25. Sniffit

    Amazing. Her PAC does stuff that indicates potential corruption and yet the true-believing brainwashed GOPers who post comments here somehow think that the FEC doing its job by pointing it out is evidence of Dem corruption. Get back in the GOP clown car and drive off into the sunsest guys...you are truly a bunch of clowns.

    August 28, 2009 01:13 pm at 1:13 pm |
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