Committee for
Truth in Politics
William Peaslee, an attorney from Cary, NC who is the former chief of
staff and legal counsel for the North Carolina Republican Party,
incorporated the Committee for Truth in Politics as a 501(c)(4) in late
Sept. 2008. According to its Articles of Incorporation:
Purpose. The Corporation is organized
for the purpose of promoting the social welfare of the people of North
Carolina by: (a) Advocating honesty in government; (b) Advocating
limited government; and (c) Engaging in any and all lawful activities
that are appropriate to carry out and fulfill any or all of the
foregoing purposes.
The sum total of Committee for Truth in Politics' activities seems to
be two ads it ran in Oct. 2008 attacking Sen. Obama for votes on
abortion and child abuse. The main point of this group's
existence seems
to have been to challenge campaign finance law.
Because the ads aired within 60 days of the election, they qualified as
electioneering communications. The group went to court [press
release] arguing that the ads were not
"unambiguously-campaign-related" ads (i.e. subject to regulation
and disclosure requirements) but rather "constitutionally-protected
'issue advocacy' advertising." Holly
Lynn Koerber and Committee for Truth in Politics, Inc. v Federal
Election Commission was filed in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of North Carolina in Greenville on Oct. 3, 2008.
(1)
U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard ruled against the plaintiffs on
Oct. 29. (2)
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2009 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action |
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