Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410210053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg, the FEC accused the conservative Christian group of violating election laws by using its corporate funds to produce a series of television and print ads.
Tax-exempt corporations are prohibited from using their money to support a particular candidate.
The advertisements by the Lynchburg-based organization said Democratic nominee Bill Clinton supported job quotas and special civil rights for homosexuals. During the campaign, Clinton said he was in favor of gay-rights legislation but did not say he supported job quotas.
Christian Action Network President Martin J. Mawyer said the ads were not intended to endorse any of the presidential candidates. The group has 20 days to respond to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also charges the group with failing to state whether its commercials were authorized by a candidate, another violation of election law. No candidate authorized the Christian Action Network's spots.
The 30-second advertisements ran 250 times in at least 24 cities during the 1992 campaign. According to the lawsuit, similar print advertisements ran in October 1992 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Washington Times.
The FEC asked the court to fine the group $5,000 for each of the 250 times the television commercials were aired and for the two times the newspaper ads were published. Unspecified additional fines were proposed for paperwork violations.
The lawsuit was filed after Mawyer rejected a $125,000 fine proposed by the FEC during negotiations last month.
The network last year reported about 60,000 active supporters and $2.2 million in revenues.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB