FEC Complaint Filed Against Santorum’s Rally
A complaint has been lodged with the Federal Election Commission against Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign and others, alleging they violated federal election law while rallying for votes in Michigan.
Joe DiSano, a Democratic strategist, sent the complaint Friday alleging that Santorum took an illegal in-kind campaign contribution by holding a Feb. 17 rally in Shelby Township at a banquet hall donated for free.
The complaint centers on Glenn Clark, the president of the Michigan Faith and Freedom Coalition, who took a position as the volunteer campaign coordinator for Santorum in Michigan, where the former senator narrowly lost the popular vote to Mitt Romney on Feb. 28.
Clark organized the packed rally at the Palazzo Grande for Santorum while serving as president of the nonprofit that promotes socially conservative values. Federal election law bans a corporation from coordinating expenditures with a campaign. With Clark acting in dual roles, DiSano additionally alleges the coalition coordinated with the campaign and made illegal in-kind contributions.
Clark and Santorum’s campaign adviser have denied any wrongdoing. Neither Clark nor the campaign responded to requests for comment Monday.
The national Faith and Freedom Coalition has been concerned about Clark’s role with the campaign, going so far as to ask for his resignation from its Michigan affiliate. The national group has chosen not to endorse a candidate and invites all to its sponsored events. “The national Faith & Freedom Coalition has launched our own investigation, separate from the MI FFC affiliate, into these serious allegations raised by this FEC complaint,” Gary Marx, executive director of the national group, said in a statement.