Experts Say Proving Violation By Direct-Mail Firm Would Be DifficultThe Boston Globe reports again today about BMW Direct, the conservative political fundraising firm in Washington.
Despite calls for an investigation, specialists in campaign finance rules said it would be difficult to prove that a direct-mail firm violated federal rules by keeping most of the hundreds of thousands of dollars it raised on behalf of little-known GOP candidates running nearly invisible campaigns against high-profile Democrats.
The practice may fall somewhere between the jurisdiction of Federal Election Commission rules and local consumer protection statutes, which are enforced by states, specialists said.
“These people have found the loopholes,” said Scott Harshbarger, the former Massachusetts attorney general who served for three years as national president of Common Cause, an advocacy group that monitors election fund-raising.
