RAW STORY

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and other so-called "527" nonpartisan groups are soon likely to face significant fines from the Federal Election Commission, according to a story in today's edition of Roll Call.

America Coming Together, a more Democrat-leaning group, and others were cited in an article written by Matthew Murray as facing fines after two years of FEC scrutiny. During the 2004 presidential election, complaints had been filed against the groups for violating campaign finance laws. Texans for Truth, Progress for America Voter Fund, Leadership Forum, the Media Fund, the Joint Victory Campaign, Economic Freedom Fund and Majority Action were other groups confirmed to be likely targets of fines for their conduct in 2004.

One observer of the process commented to Roll Call that fines were unlikely unless major infractions were alleged to have occurred, as the FEC's current philosophy emphasizes the pursuit of "big fish."

The full article is accessible to Roll Call subscribers at the newspaper's website. An excerpt is included below.

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Just in time for the 2008 presidential campaign season and roughly two years after the agency began scrutinizing a handful of 527 organizations, the Federal Election Commission is likely to hand down significant fines in the near future against groups such as America Coming Together and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, according to campaign finance lawyers and other experts.

Agency officials and outsiders directly involved in the cases declined to discuss specifics of the investigations, citing confidentiality agreements and prohibitions against discussing ongoing enforcement matters. Still, many familiar with the cases’ issues, including the top lawyer for Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) 2004 campaign and a former commission chairman, suggested that a variety of factors point to the likelihood that the agency will soon “sock it” to 527 organizations that violated campaign finance laws, particularly those involved in the 2004 presidential cycle.

“They don’t have a lot of choice,” said Marc Elias, a Democratic campaign finance lawyer who worked for the Kerry campaign. “It’s been two years that they’ve had these cases and they have indicated publicly that the enforcement process is the way” the agency prefers to police 527 groups.

While agency officials were unable to indicate the status of ongoing investigations, they were able to confirm a number of organizations when asked about specific groups that complaints had been filed against, perhaps narrowing the field of potential cases that may be closed out in the weeks to come. Among those cited as being the subject of complaints were Texans for Truth, Progress for America Voter Fund, Leadership Forum, the Media Fund, the Joint Victory Campaign, Economic Freedom Fund and Majority Action.