Democrats Say Dole Broke Law on Spending; Not So, He Says

The Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday alleging that Bob Dole has broken campaign spending laws, a charge the presumed Republican presidential nominee immediately denied.

Democratic Party national officials said that, based on their calculations, Dole had exceeded the federal limit of $37.1 million for pre-convention campaign spending by at least $343,751 as of May 31. The Democrats also alleged that Dole’s campaign has illegally shifted costs exceeding $2.5 million to various Republican Party groups.

The FEC rarely acts swiftly on such complaints, and it could be years before the matter is decided.

Records show that, as of April 30, Dole’s campaign had spent all but $176,914 of the spending cap, which takes effect if presidential candidates choose to accept federal matching funds for the primary season. Dole received about $13 million in matching funds.

Dole aides, acknowledging the cash crunch, had said they would free up funds by selling $1.2 million worth of assets to their general election campaign, a legal and common transaction.

Dole, who was forced to spend heavily to thwart primary challenges from other Republicans, also has saved campaign money by frequently attending events sponsored by the Republican National Committee, which in turn paid for his expenses.

Dole denied the Democratic charges while campaigning in the Midwest on Wednesday and took a shot at President Clinton’s acceptance of federal matching funds. “I’m more concerned about Clinton getting [matching funds] from the FEC when he didn’t really have an opponent in the primary,” Dole said. “I think he ought to refund [the money].”