PDC Views on What's Upstream Pt1

PDC Views on What's Upstream Pt1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. The Public Disclosure Commission is being advised that hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on an anti-farming campaign does not reach the level of campaign finance violations.

Save Family Farming Executive Director Gerald Baron says the PDC staff made the recommendation to the commission that the violations by the tribal sponsors of What's Upstream not be enforced ...

GERALD BARON ... "What was much worse was the explanation that they provided for it. I've never seen such a contradictory, convoluted, and totally bizarre explanation as they tried to justify their recommendation. Clearly there is something else going on because from a legal standpoint, from a factual standpoint, their explanations for not enforcing simply don't make any sense."

Baron says it's left everyone confused about the math used by the PDC ...

GERALD BARON ... "For example, we know that $655,000 was budgeted and at least several hundred thousand of that was spent on the campaign. But, they say that the "Take Action" button, which was probably the most overt political activity in the campaign, likely was a violation of grassroots lobbying requirements. But, since it didn't meet the $1,400 minimum amount spent to trigger the recording requirement, therefore it wasn't a requirement for them to report."

Baron says the PDC Commission is scheduled to meet today (Thursday) and expected to rule on the recommendation.

Listen Monday for an update on the ruling.

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