NHGOP ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REVIEW ILLEGAL HASSAN CONTRIBUTION Special Interest Union PAC Made $25,000 Donation To Governor’s Campaign Concord – The New Hampshire Republican State Committee today asked Attorney General Joseph Foster to investigate an illegal contributionmade by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) PAC to Governor Maggie Hassan’s reelection campaign. According to documents filed with the Secretary of State’s office, the Washington DC based IBEW PAC broke the law by making a $25,000 donation to Hassan’s candidate committee that dramatically exceeded New Hampshire’s contribution limits. IBEW PAC is a special interest committee that is trying to buy influence in Concord and push elected officials like Governor Hassan to approve the controversial Northern Pass project. “Its clear that a pro-Northern Pass special interest group funded by union bosses is illegally funneling money into Governor Hassan’s re-election campaign. Attorney General Foster needs to immediately investigate Governor Hassan’s illegal campaign activity and force her to follow the law,” said NHGOP Chairman Jennifer Horn. “Governor Hassan has attempted to play both sides in the ongoing debate over the controversial Northern Pass project. Her decision to accept illegal contributions from a pro-Northern Pass political action committee raises serious questions that she will need to answer.” Below is the full letter that the New Hampshire Republican State Committee sent to the Department of Justice this morning: Attorney General Joseph Foster New Hampshire Department of Justice 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301 Dear Attorney General Joseph Foster, On behalf of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, I am writing today to respectfully request that you investigate an illegal contribution made by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) PAC to Governor Maggie Hassans re-election campaign. According the IBEW PACs June 18th, 2014 filing with the Secretary of States office, the committee made a $25,000 donation to Friends of Maggie Hassan, dramatically exceeding New Hampshires legal contribution limits (Exhibit A). According to February 10, 2012 opinion issued by the New Hampshire Department of Justice (Exhibit B) and currently posted on the New Hampshire Secretary of States website, state law limits candidate contributions. This opinion mentions that RSA 664:4, V. establishes contribution limits of up to $1,000 or up to $5,000 depending on whether a candidate voluntarily agrees to the expenditure cap established in RSA: 665:5-a. Relying on this language and prior opinions, the Department of Justice states that limits on contributions can be made during three periods: (1) any exploratory campaign period (pre-declaration of candidacy); (2) Primary Election; and (3) General Election. According to this opinion, candidates can accept up to$5,000 in pre-declaration contributions. Candidates who agree to the expenditure cap can accept donations of up to $5,000 in both the primary and the general. Candidates who dont agree to the expenditure cap can accept up to $1,000 in the primary in the general. The opinion clearly states that candidates who agree to the cap can receive a total maximum amount of contributions over all three periods of $15,000 while those who dont agree to the cap are held to a maximum of $7,000 in contributions. On June 12, 2014 the IBEW PAC broke state law by donating $25,000 to Friends of Maggie Hassan, a candidate committee that supports the reelection of Governor Maggie Hassan. According to filings with the Secretary of States office and a letter sent by Governor Hassan to Secretary William Gardner (Exhibit C), Friends of Maggie Hassan is a candidate committee that was suspiciously renamed Maggie 14 the same day that IBEW made the illegal contribution. Please accept the attached form as an amendment to my current candidate committee, Friends of Maggie Hassan. The name is changed from Friends of Maggie Hassan to Maggie 14, wrote Governor Hassan in a June 12, 2014 letter to Secretary Gardner. Maggie 14 will continue as my candidate committee. Governor Hassan also officially filed her paperwork to run for re-election on June 12, 2014. Since Governor Hassan has not agreed to adhere to the expenditure cap, based on the Department of Justice opinion the maximum amount of contributions the Hassan Campaign can receive over all three periods from the IBEW PAC is $7,000. The IBEW PACs $25,000 contribution exceeds this limit by $18,000 and is clearly in violation of state law. Additionally the IBEW PACs filing raises very serious red flags that must also be investigated. The committee lists total receipts of $143,667.86, yet it fails to list a single itemized receipt. It is a mystery where this money came from. Furthermore, the IBEW PAC filed its registration form with the Secretary of States Office on June 17, 2014 (Exhibit D). Yet the committees report indicates the illegal donation to Governor Hassans committee was made on June 12, 2014 - five days before it filed its registration form and the same day that Governor Hassan officially became a candidate. Clearly, Governor Hassans committee and the IBEW PAC have deliberately exceeded New Hampshires campaign contribution limits. The IBEW has also failed to follow the law by refusing to disclose its itemized receipts. In order to ensure public confidence in state government, I ask that you investigate these important matters immediately. Sincerely, Jennifer Horn Chairman New Hampshire Republican State Committee nhgop.org/news/nhgop-asks-attorney-general-to-review-illegal-hassan-contribution
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:19:47 +0000
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