Obama '08 campaign fined $375,000 by FEC

[January 05, 2013]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign has been fined $375,000 by the Federal Election Commission for reporting violations related to a set of donations received during the final days of the campaign.

The fines are among the largest ever levied on a presidential campaign by the FEC and stem from a series of missing notices for nearly 1,200 contributions totaling nearly $1.9 million.

Campaigns are required to file reports within 48 hours on donations of $1,000 or more received during the final 20 days of the campaign. The fine was detailed in a conciliation agreement sent to Sean Cairncross, chief counsel for the Republican National Committee.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Katie Hogan said the 2008 campaign had more than 3 million donors and "the very few outstanding questions have now all been resolved." Obama's campaign raised nearly $750 million from 2007 to 2008.

The fines, first reported by Politico, are among the largest assessed on a presidential campaign, according to the FEC. Al Sharpton's 2004 campaign was fined more than $200,000, and Kansas Sen. Bob Dole's 1988 presidential campaign paid a $100,000 fine.

Among other large fines involving political organizations, liberal group America Coming Together was fined $775,000 in 2007.

The fines followed an audit of the campaign by the FEC in the aftermath of complaints by the Republican National Committee and others groups. The Obama campaign paid $230,000 in fines and the Democratic National Committee, which ran a joint fundraising committee with the campaign, paid the remainder.

[Associated Press; By KEN THOMAS]

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