DNC Release of 2003 FEC Letter Proves McCain Defense Not Truthful

Denver, Colorado - After trying to portray himself as a "maverick" who would reform Washington, John McCain is now trying to illegally withdraw from the very campaign finance system he has claimed to champion, a move that highlights for Colorado's voters McCain's hypocrisy on ethics. Adding insult to injury, McCain is lying to voters to blur the facts, suggesting that his unilateral withdrawal is exactly the same as Howard Dean's in 2003. McCain's attempt to unilaterally withdraw from public financing comes after he used the promise of federal matching funds to get free access to the ballot in some states, and as collateral for a loan to keep his campaign afloat, a clear violation of the agreement he signed with the FEC.

In order to receive matching funds, John McCain signed a binding agreement with the FEC to accept spending limits and to abide by the conditions of receiving those funds. The FEC makes clear that any request to withdraw from the agreement must be granted by the FEC. In other words, McCain can't just unilaterally withdraw. FEC Chairman David Mason made this clear in a letter to McCain advising him that the law requires the FEC to approve his request to withdraw from his contract. Additionally, one of the conditions for being let out of the program is that a candidate and his campaign could not have used the promise of matching funds as collateral for a private loan. But that's exactly what McCain did when he obtained a $4 million line of credit earlier this year.

The McCain campaign's argument that it does not need permission to withdraw from the FEC's matching funds program and citing the Howard Dean campaign as an example of that has today been proven false, with the DNC's release of a 2003 FEC letter granting Dean permission before any funds were disbursed, and without the former Democratic presidential candidate ever violating any of the terms of the FEC agreement.

"The last thing Colorado's voters want is four more years of a president who thinks he's above the law, but that's exactly what John McCain is proving to be by suggesting the rules apply to everyone but himself," said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak. "This kind of hypocrisy calls McCain's credibility into question and shows he's just another Washington politician who will do anything to win, and anything to get his way."

The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint yesterday with the FEC calling for an investigation into whether the McCain campaign violated or is about to violate the law by ignoring the spending limit agreement and other conditions Senator McCain agreed to when he became eligible to receive federal funds.

For a copy of the FEC complaint visit:

http://www.democrats.org/page/-/pdf/DNC_McCainFECComplaint.pdf

For a copy of the 2003 FEC letter that debunks McCain's disingenuous spin, visit:

http://www.democrats.org/page/-/pdf/20080226_deanfecpermission.pdf