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.

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Filed under: Sarah Palin
soundoff (301 Responses)
  1. Tony

    Sarah Palin is not a "private citizen," private citizens don't have Political Action Committees. If you're trying to sell a book, the last thing you want to be is a private citizen.

    Sarah Palin is on CNN, because Far Right Extremists have named her the future of the Conservative Movement. If you don't want her in the news stop holding her up as the future of your party.

    Before you tell people to be quiet on any topic, please remember the right to call yourself, "a proud Right-Wing terrorist" and be given a "blessing" by Rep. Wally Herger(R) for saying it, is the same right someone has to call Gov. Palin an "inept war-mongering fanatic."

    God Bless America!

    What did the Right say when Pres. Bush was criticized? Oh yeah..."America: Love It or Leave It!"

    August 28, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |
  2. usualone

    People continue to attack CNN for their reporting of Palin. If one were to step back and look at CNN's coverage of her and others, they also go as strongly after Democrats. It is hard to understand why people like this woman (and my opinion is based on the words out of her mouth and her actions, not what others write.) She quit on the very people who believe in her, and for that and other reasons I cannot comprehend why people still believe in the woman. She used public monies for her children. The list goes on and on. It makes me wonder about those who believe in her with her obvious lack of ethics.

    August 28, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |
  3. BBB

    As registered female republican, I was thrilled last year when she was nominated... but as I watched and listened to her I realized that I could not possibly pull the voting machine lever and have her any where close to running this country.

    Unless things change drastically with her, I will not even consider voting for her the next time around either.

    August 28, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |
  4. Jane

    Oops – who will be blamed for this?

    August 28, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |
  5. matzmaw

    sara palin--GREAT BIG MOUTH, TINY, TINY BRAIN!!!!!

    August 28, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |
  6. gardine

    You poor sad right-wingers still making excuses for this has-been.

    August 28, 2009 01:15 pm at 1:15 pm |
  7. candace

    How DUMB is this women. AND how stupid are John McCain's people for allowing the donation?.......I think they should run again in 4 years..........I need a good laugh.

    August 28, 2009 01:16 pm at 1:16 pm |
  8. Dan Quayle

    Huh, huh. She's dumber than a potatoe.

    August 28, 2009 01:16 pm at 1:16 pm |
  9. Jim K

    One need not be a Democrat or a conservatve to see that this woman is a fool.

    August 28, 2009 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |
  10. Donald Reif, Jr.

    I am really torn. As a Democrat, I believe Sarah Palin is the best thing that can happen to the Democratic Party in a purely political sense. On the other hand, as a American first, I wish the powers to be in the Republican Party would tell her to just go away. It's one thing after another with her. Can anybody with a truly straight face say that she is ready for the big time?

    August 28, 2009 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |
  11. Duke

    If that's the case John, then have her run for President. Please have her run for president if she is a legitimate politician or candidate. I would love nothing better than four more years of her screwing up one incident right after the other. We could all use a good laugh

    August 28, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |
  12. From the Heartland

    Gosh darn it all anyway. Sarah's a maverick, and hirin' folks in her PAC who don't know (or maybe care) about the rules that PACs have to follow is just a mavericky kinda thing to do, doncha know. And by jingles, if her PAC (she) wants to give $5K, they (she) dang well better be able to give $5Km doggone it!. Those law-makin' folks in the lower 48 are just makin' life too dang complicated for good ol' independent, moose-huntin', fish-shootin' cusses from Alas'ka.

    Waitin' in Wasilla

    August 28, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |
  13. Hugo

    Too awful funny how the libs are calling Sara a cheating, lying, corrupt etc., etc., etc.
    Please remember the following:

    Rangle Tax cheat Democrat
    Geithner Tax cheat Democrat
    Daschle Tax cheat Democrat
    Pelosi Millionaire off her political position Democrat
    Kennedy (deceased) Cheat Democrat
    Obama Dual citizenship Usurper of the Constitution Democrat

    August 28, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |
  14. EDDIE

    Does she do anything that is not against the law?

    August 28, 2009 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |
  15. nea

    Thats why she should stop criticizing President Obama because everytime you criticize someone else you are welcoming criticism back to you.thats why the Bible says judge ye not. Other than that i like her as a person.

    August 28, 2009 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |
  16. Michael

    I think the lady is a nut job and I have no use for her.......but this sounds like the press trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. This filing mistake is just not that big a deal.

    August 28, 2009 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |
  17. j zermeno

    So now the FEC is a part of this so called "Democratic Machinery"?

    August 28, 2009 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |
  18. Ed, Santa Fe, NM

    No surprise.... the woman is a moron.

    August 28, 2009 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |
  19. Fair Play?

    CNN, I'm curious...has any other PAC mis-filed or made errors in thier filings with the Federal Election Commission? Come on, tell the truth.

    August 28, 2009 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |
  20. JS007

    Hey, Sarah doesn't believe in edumacation. She gets her forms dictated to her by God directly. Lies and omissions? God must have been having an off day.

    August 28, 2009 01:23 pm at 1:23 pm |
  21. Ted Tartaglia

    This woman cannot do anything right. And, people are stupid enough to believe she is President material. God help us all!

    August 28, 2009 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |
  22. trying to be reasonable in WV

    This not sufficiently newsworthy to divert our attention. For the record, I am adamantly opposed to ex-Gov. Palin as a national candidate, but that's not the point here. CNN–write the story when it IS a story, not before.

    August 28, 2009 01:26 pm at 1:26 pm |
  23. EUNICE C

    she's not running for president became her and hubby are not doing so well beening together -- my understanding is she and broke HUBBY MAY BE LOOKING AT A DIVORCE

    August 28, 2009 01:27 pm at 1:27 pm |
  24. Tiredofmediabias

    CNN – when are you folks going to give the Palin thing a rest? Frankly I'm tired of hearing about her and even more tired of you folks having some kind of story about her on your front page day after day after day. Get some "new" news CNN! Enough already. It's like you guys are Palin "stalkers".

    August 28, 2009 01:27 pm at 1:27 pm |
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