Gassing up twice a week in New Jersey? Hiring Turdo the magician? Buying smoked meats for Christmas presents? A review of campaign finance reports by The Associated Press shows that's all part of the questionable use of campaign donations that can buoy lawmakers' lifestyles and buy support back home. The New York Public Interest Research Group also said Tuesday it found more than 100,000 violations of state campaign finance laws since 2011, including campaign committee failures to file accurate reports and no recent reports at all from 2,328 committees. "Some of them are flagrant violations of the state's contribution limits," said NYPIRG researcher Bill Mahoney, citing what the group said were 278 improper corporate donations. "Others are more minor peccadillos that show a complete disregard for the law because they occur in such huge numbers." Joined by other good government advocacy groups that blame lack of enforcement, NYPIRG also reported many misidentified or unidentified campaign expenditures.
Perhaps when a law is violated this often it might be the fault of the law?
