Group Claims 7 Broke Law on Campaign Gifts

Responding to a Los Angeles Times story, Common Cause has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing seven wealthy campaign contributors of violating a federal election law that prohibits anyone from making more than $25,000 a year in contributions to federal candidates.

In a letter to FEC Chairwoman Lee Ann Elliott, Common Cause President Fred Wertheimer called on the commission to “take appropriate action against these individuals and to institute procedures by which the FEC can regularly detect such violations.”

The Times reported in a story published April 18 that the FEC had failed to take action against at least 10 wealthy men and women who appeared to have exceeded the limit on contributions during 1988.

The seven contributors named in the Common Cause complaint were corporate buy-out specialists Henry R. Kravis, Ronald O. Perelman and Harold Simmons; Kravis’ father, Raymond; Ira Riklis, son of corporate raider Meshulam Riklis; Dwayne O. Andreas, chairman of Archer Daniels Midland, and his wife, Dorothy Inez.

The three others named in the Times story were Meshulam Riklis, New York developer Donald Trump and Rose Hunt, heir to the Hunt oil fortune. Common Cause did not explain why these names were not included in the complaint.

FEC officials have acknowledged that they do not adequately monitor compliance with the limits on campaign spending. Although a few people have been fined in the past for exceeding these limits, the penalties levied in these cases have not exceeded $250.

Wertheimer noted that both the Times story and the Common Cause complaint were drawn from candidate reports currently on file at the FEC headquarters.

Under federal election law, contributors are permitted to give up to $2,000 to a congressional campaign, $5,000 a year to a political action committee and $20,000 a year to a party committee. But total contributions in any calendar year may not exceed $25,000.