HARRISBURG — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding the recent ruling by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) which found former Democrat Congressional candidate for the 15th district, John Callahan, and his campaign committee, John Callahan for Congress in violation of federal campaign finance laws.
“John Callahan’s decision to improperly use funds from his mayoral campaign to support his bid for congress is wrong, and as the FEC recently ruled, illegal,” Gleason said. “This ruling further affirms the voters’ decision to reject John Callahan’s bid for Congress last year.”
The original complaint, filed by Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason on February 25, 2010, outlined payments made by Callahan’s mayoral campaign committee to Stanford Campaigns, a Democrat opposition research firm. According to Callahan’s campaign manger Justin Schall, who was the source of an October 22, 2009 article in The Morning Call, this firm was hired to, find out what criminal background checks the name John Callahan would dig up.” The funds raised by his mayoral campaign committee were used to help Mr. Callahan test the waters for a possible federal campaign, and their use and subsequent absence from any federal campaign filings, stand in direct violation of the Federal Election Commission Act of 1971 and Federal Election Commission regulations.
In a letter received by Rob Gleason on September 8, 2011, the Federal Election Commission found reason to believe that John Callahan, Friends of John Callahan and John V. Filipos, in his official capacity as treasurer, and John Callahan for Congress and John V. Filipos, in his official capacity as treasurer, violated 2 .S.C. 44 i(e) and 11 C.F.R 110.3 (d), and reason to believe that John Callahan for Congress and John V. Filipos in this official capacity as treasurer, violated 2 U.S. C. 434 (b)(3) and (4), provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended.”
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