GOP Targets DNC Donations in Complaint

WASHINGTON — The Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Friday alleging that the Democratic National Committee’s delay in refunding $1.5 million in suspect donations violates the law.

The complaint alleges the DNC should have detected the tainted donations right away in 1996 and at least refunded them within 30 days of the discovery that they might be improper.

The DNC announced in February that it had identified about $1.5 million in donations from the 1996 election that it suspected were from foreign or other questionable sources and hoped to refund the donations by June 30.

The DNC has said it set the later date for the refunds because it is heavily in debt and needed time to raise additional money.

DNC spokeswoman Amy Weiss Tobe said Friday that only a “small portion” of the suspect donations are believed to be outright illegal and that the party is on schedule to have all of them refunded by the end of the month.

In its complaint, the Republican National Committee alleges that the DNC has held fund-raisers since the announcement and is required under the law to pay back any donation it suspects is illegal within 30 days of its discovery.