WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The Swift Boat Veterans and the MoveOn.org Voter Fund have settled with the Federal Election Commission for political activities during the 2004 U.S. elections.
In its ruling that the two organizations failed to register as political committees -- which have stricter fundraising rules -- the FEC fined the Swift Boat group $299,500 and MoveOn.org Voter Fund $150,000. The commission, in a release Wednesday, said the organizations violated election finance rules because they advocated the defeat of Democratic challenger John Kerry and Republican incumbent U.S. President George Bush, respectively.
The organizations had 527 tax status, which limits contributions directed to political parties but allows unlimited contributions to groups that advocated issues.
Campaign finance watchdog organizations said the FEC's actions were not enough.
"Effective enforcement of the campaign finance laws cannot be established through a case-by-case approach that resolves massive violations of campaign finance laws more than two years after a presidential election," officials of Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center said in a statement.
The commission also fined two groups affiliated with the League of Conservation Voters for failing to register as political committees. Those fines totaled $180,000.
