Friday, April 3, 2009

Ignorance is bliss

http://plaidlemur.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/cashpile.jpg

Mega-kudos to my friend Keith Brown over at TriadWatch for uncovering and exposing a $5,000 illegal donation to the George C. Simkins Jr. Memorial Political Action Committee by in-Action Greensboro last fall to help the non-profit's get out the vote effort for citywide bond referendums.

Adam Ragan a state campaign official tells the News & Record:
Action Greensboro is prohibited from donating to North Carolina political committees or candidates...
...The PAC has turned the money over to the N.C. Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund.
But wait, this gets better:
The image “http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:lPPRZbsicP2PSM:http://www.northcarolina.edu/images/directory/bowden.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors. “We weren’t trying to hide anything. Somebody complained, so we just did what was right,” said Steve Bowden, co-chairman of the PAC.

...Bowden said the money was used to help support the bonds. He said the PAC did not know the nonprofit was prohibited from donating.
Wow...isn't ignorance bliss, counselor? You're a lawyer, you're the co-chair of this PAC, and you don't know the law of operating your own PAC?

Astounding.

More Coverage:
Joe Guarino
FEC
Spag Report
Yes! Weekly

E.C. :)

1 comment:

Triadwatch said...

nice comment from R. Steve Bowden and he is a lawyer, amazing.