This is Part Two of a series about the
FEC Complaint filed by Democratic Congressional Candidate
Lois Murphy against Congressman Jim Gerlach. Please go
here for the original diary posted yesterday.
To recap here's a quote from the press release by Lois Murphy:
"Jim Gerlach is either incapable of balancing his
checkbook, or just not sufficiently committed to providing the honest and
open disclosure that is required by law and that the public deserves."
"The flagrant violations in Jim Gerlach's FEC report show a continued
pattern of mismanagement and poor decision making. It is deeply
disappointing that a member of Congress would be so irresponsible when it
comes to the public's right to know. The bottom line is that Jim Gerlach is
more concerned with the culture of money and power exemplified by his close
colleague former Majority Leader Tom DeLay than with meeting his obligations
to the public. I have always and will always conduct an open campaign and
promise to bring a change to the current political culture in Washington."
Read more....
Gerlach is being accused of failing to identify donors to his campaign, of overstating the funds raised, of mis-stating his cash on hand, of receiving contributions over the maximum allowed by law, of accepting a contribution from a corporation, and other violations.
Gerlach has responded by replacing his Treasurer and promising to rectify all the errors in his FEC reports. To me, this seems like an admission that Murphy's allegations are all true and need to be thoroughly investigated by the FEC.
When it comes to reporting the totals in each fundraising quarter Gerlach seems to have been unable to tell the truth. The media latches onto these quarterly statements as a way of determining the legitimacy of a candidate. Those unable to raise large amounts to their election efforts are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as either credible candidates or not.
Therefore, these numbers have an importance sometimes out of all relevance to their impact on a campaign. The pressure to fundraise and have a "good report" is huge. Th efact that the Congresman seems to have grossly inflated his numbers beyone comprehension does say something about him. None of it good.
First, it says he's dishonest. Secondly, it says he's desperate to hold onto a seat that is widely considered the most vulnerable in the nation. Thirdly, it says how seriously he considers the efforts of Lois Murphy to win this seat, since he's willing to go to these lengths to try and win.
Toady we will examine the issue of the funds Gerlach has said he's raised for the 2006 election cycle. According to the Murphy Complaint
Gerlach failed to accurately disclose the total amount of contributions received during the 2005-2006 election cycle in violation of 2 U.S.C. §434(b)(2) by reporting receipts of $3.3 million when it appears that only $1.1 million was actually raised.
Gerlach has reported raising $3,310,453 for the election cycle. If we examine his FEC reports, however, we see this:
Post-General 2004 reported 4/14/05: $17,339
Year End 2004 reported 9/13/05: $ 7,800
April 2005 Quarterly: $392,682
July 2005 Quarterly: $407,365
October 2005 Quarterly: $328,497
cycle total: $1,153,683
According to his 2004 year ending report and his 2005 Quarterly reports Gerlach has raised $1,153,683 for the 2006 election cycle. He has stated on his FEC reports, however, that he has raised a total of $3,310,453. This is a very serious discrepancy. $2.2 Million is serious money for anyone, even a Republican Congressman accustomed to voting for hundred billion dollar deficits.
What is your take on this issue? What do you think motivated Gerlach to lie so egregiously on his FEC reports?