7/2/96
PRESS RELEASE

BOB DOLE - AT IT AGAIN

Bob Dole is having a bad day. First he complains about Katie Couric and Dr. C. Everett Koop; now he's complaining about us.

This absurd charge is an attempt to direct attention away from the Dole campaign's very real problem: they have exceeded the legal limit for presidential primary campaign spending. The Dole campaign admits this complaint is based on statements in Bob Woodward's book, THE CHOICE, statements which have already been publicly corrected.*

Today's events demonstrate the very real difference between the two campaigns. The Clinton/Gore '96 campaign will continue to obey the federal election laws. Instead of blaming the President, the media, and anyone who disagrees with him, Bob Dole should instruct his campaign to start living up to their legal obligation.

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*See attached letter from Lawrence M. Noble, General Counsel to the Federal Election Commission, as printed in THE WASHINGTON POST, June 27, 1996.

Copyright 1996 THE WASHINGTON POST
THE WASHINGTON POST
June 27, 1996, Thursday, Final Edition

SECTION: OP-ED; Pg. A28; LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
LENGTH: 202 words
HEADLINE: "Not What I Said"

BODY:

In excerpting Bob Woodward's book, THE CHOICE, THE POST attributes to me a statement which I did not make and which does not appear in the book. Specifically, I would never say that "no presidential candidate should be deeply involved in his party's advertising." The law presumes that a candidate may be involved in his party's advertising, though the ramifications of that involvement on spending and contribution limits may raise difficult legal and factual questions.

In addition, the excerpt quotes me as saying that "we have forgotten the lessons of Watergate," but omits the book's disclaimer that I was not referring to any specific factual situation in this presidential election. My real concern is that some courts are giving short shrift to the long-recognized compelling government interests that gave rise to the campaign finance laws.

The continuing debate about the campaign finance laws deals with issues central to our democracy. If the debate is to be meaningful and constructive, it is important that we are accurate and avoid oversimplification in the quest for easily understandable analysis.

LAWRENCE M. NOBLE

General Counsel
Federal Election Commission
Washington