RNC to seek audit of all contributions to Obama campaign

RNC to seek audit of all contributions to Obama campaign
Posted: 03:33 PM ET

From From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

(CNN) – The fund-raising prowess of the Obama campaign may be put under a microscope, if the Republican National Committee has its way.
The RNC announced that it plans to file a complaint with the Federal Election Committee Monday that seeks an audit of the more than $450 million that have been donated so far to Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
The complaint will address two issues highlighted in a recent Newsweek report about the Obama campaign's fund-raising. First, the RNC will ask the federal agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws to audit and inquire into whether the Obama campaign accepted any money from foreign nationals, a contribution source prohibited under federal law.
"We believe that, based on the law, the Obama campaign has accepted contributions from foreign nationals and has knowingly done so through at least its failure to reasonable investigate where all this money is coming from," RNC Chief Counsel Sean Cairncross told reporters Sunday.
The FEC defines foreign nationals as foreign governments, foreign political parties, foreign corporations, foreign associations, foreign partnerships, individuals who are foreign citizens, and immigrants to the U.S. who do not have a "green card," showing they are permanent residents or are lawfully admitted to the country.
Second, the RNC plans to ask for an audit of possible excessive contributions to the Democratic nominee. "The Obama campaign has a track record of accepting these," Cairncross told reporters, referring to recent FEC requests directed at the Obama campaign to explain what appear to be multiple small donations from single donors listed in the campaign's finance reports which violate the contribution limits when aggregated.
The Obama campaign says that since it was made aware of that foreign nationals may have given donations, it has taken steps to screen out those donors. The campaign has not specifically responded to CNN's request for comment about the possibility that some of its donors may have exceeded the federal contribution limit and has not specifically responded to the RNC announcement that it will request an FEC audit of all contributions to the campaign.
As the primary season ended and presidential race turned to the general election phase, Sen. Barack Obama announced that he had decided not to take public financing – a declaration that appeared to go back on his earlier commitment to work out an arrangement about public financing with the Republican nominee.
Watch: I'm opting out, Obama says
Sen. McCain, however, decided to take public financing during the general election race and is now limited to spending the $84 million given to his campaign by the federal government. Because Obama declined public funds for the general election, his spending is not limited by federal law