DNC Release on McCain

Newly Released FEC Letter Proves McCain Campaign Not Being Truthful

Washington, DC - The Democratic National Committee today released a 2003 letter from the Federal Election Commission that shows that John McCain and his campaign are playing fast and loose with the facts to justify its decision to break the law by unilaterally withdrawing from the FEC's matching funds program.   The FEC requires approval before withdrawing from the public financing system.

The McCain campaign has argued that it does not need permission to withdraw from the FEC's matching funds program, claiming that previous campaigns have done the same thing, specifically citing Governor Dean's 2003 campaign. Just yesterday, Senator McCain said,   "We're doing exactly what Howard Dean did in a previous election and what the FEC ruled in the case of Congressman Gephardt.''  [Associated Press, 2/25/08]

But McCain and his campaign are not telling the whole truth.  They refuse to admit that unlike McCain, the Dean campaign followed the law and received written permission from the FEC to withdraw from the public financing system.  Additionally, the FEC approved the Dean campaign's request to withdraw because Dean had not yet received any public funds and had not used matching funds as collateral to secure a private loan, a condition the McCain campaign has already violated.

"Clearly John McCain is willing to mislead the American people on everything from the war in Iraq to his campaign's failure to follow campaign finance laws," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney.  "This is a cynical ploy on the part of Senator McCain and his campaign.  They should either produce their own letter from the FEC releasing them from the public financing system they signed on to, or  stop distorting the truth and admit that they're wrong."