PRESS RELEASE
October 20, 1996

STATEMENT BY JOE LOCKHART
NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY

We agree that campaign finance reform is long overdue and should be dealt with in a bipartisan fashion. But it’s a little late -- and disingenuous -- for Bob Dole to promote campaign finance reform. Bob Dole has made a career opposing meaningful campaign finance reform, including actively blocking the McCain/Feingold proposal which President Clinton supported.

It’s too bad that Senator Bob Dole’s record doesn’t match Candidate Dole’s rhetoric.

# # #

Bob Dole’s History Of Campaign Finance Ethical Lapses

"Dole has another embarrassment on his hands about how his campaign raises money. When it happens time and time again, and it’s the same (alleged) violation, it's very serious. You have what I would call election-law recidivism." -- Charles Lewis, head of the Center for Public Integrity [K.C. Star, 9/29/96]

September 1996:
Illegal Scheme By Nevada Liquor Company To Funnel Money To Dole Is Uncovered. In September 1996, it was reported that DeLuca Liquor & Wine of Nevada gave thousands of dollars to its managers and then asked them to make individual contributions to Dole’s Presidential campaign. The company admitted the scheme and a DeLuca VP said, "It's not illegal, I hope." On a single day in 1995, Dole’s campaign collected at least $10,000 from DeLuca executives and their wives. [K.C. Star, 9/29/96]

April 1996:
Empire Landfill’s Questionable $50,000 Contribution Scheme To Dole Is Discovered. Federal agents are currently examining nearly $50,000 in contributions to Dole’s 1996 Presidential campaign by employees of Pennsylvania-based waste disposal company -- Empire Landfill. The contributions are suspicious because many came from lower-level employees on the same day. [WSJ, 5/8/96; Washington Post, 4/25/96]

April 1996:
Aqua-Leisure’s $69,000 Illegal Contribution Scheme To Dole Is Uncovered. Earlier this year, Simon Fireman agreed to pay a $6 million fine as part of a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney for illegally reimbursing his Aqua-Leisure employees for $69,000 in contributions to Dole’s 1996 Presidential campaign. [K.C. Star, 7/11/96; 7/23/96; 9/29/96; Boston Globe, 7/22/96]

Dole’s 1986 Senate Campaign (September 1995):
FEC Rules Dole’s 1986 Senate Campaign Accepted Illegal Birdview Contributions. In September 1995, the FEC fined officials of Kansas-based Birdview Satellite Communications for illegally taking company money in return for personal contributions to Dole’s 1986 Senate campaign. The FEC found that Birdview employees were encouraged to give to Dole and were repaid by the company. [K.C. Star, 9/18/95]

June 1995:
Dole Forced To Close "Better America Foundation"After Using It To Circumvent Law.In June 1995, political pressure forced Dole to close his "Better America Foundation" and reveal its donors. The foundation had allowed large companies and wealthy individuals to bypass campaign finance laws and give $4.6 million to Dole. Unlike campaigns, this tax-exempt foundation was not required to disclose donors and had no contribution limits. Dole was using the then-secret funds for polling and a commercial featuring Dole. [Washington Post, 6/21/95]

Dole’s 1988 Presidential Campaign (August 1993):
Dole’s 1988 Campaign Received Largest FEC Fine In History For Improper Activities.In 1993, Dole’s 1988 Presidential campaign paid a then-record $100,000 civil fine to the FEC for campaign violations, including: exceeding primary campaign spending limits in Iowa and New Hampshire by $588,149, knowingly accepting $64,043 in illegal corporate contributions and improperly accepting $239,131 in over-contributions. [K.C. Star, 8/7/93]

September 1976:
Gulf Oil Lobbyist Said That He Gave Illegal Corporate Contribution To Dole In 1973. In September 1976, it was reported that Gulf Oil’s top lobbyist told a Federal grand jury that in 1973 he made an illegal corporate contribution of $5,000 or $6,000 from Gulf’s secret slush fund to Dole. The lobbyist also said that he gave Dole $2,000 in 1970 to pass on to other candidates. The lobbyist later flip-flopped on the second assertion but in 1970, he had written on the check stub, "given to Dole for disbursement by him." As part of the investigation into this matter, Dole testified before a Federal grand jury. [New York Times, 9/6/76; 9/7/96; 9/8/96; 9/9/96]