GOP targets Soros' anti-Bush efforts
WASHINGTON -- Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie challenged campaign finance watchdog groups yesterday to speak out about billionaire George Soros and independent efforts to defeat President Bush and urged the organizations to disclose how much the donors have given them.
The GOP chairman also hinted that the Republican National Committee would air ads countering the steady criticism of the president from the Democratic presidential candidates, but he declined to be specific.
"It could be late this year," Gillespie said in an interview with the Associated Press.
The chairman called on groups such as Common Cause, Democracy 21, the Alliance for Better Campaigns, and Public Campaign to criticize the unregulated, third-party efforts by Soros, who said he is committed to spending $15 million, and Peter Lewis, who has earmarked $12 million, to defeat Bush. Gillespie sent a letter to the four groups asking them how much Soros has donated to their organizations in his support of campaign finance reform.
The GOP chairman argued that Democrats plan to direct big donors to the groups to avoid campaign finance laws and use millions in unregulated soft money.
"Where are the referees? They swallowed their whistles," Gillespie said. "They passed laws to prevent this kind of thing."
Mary Boyle of Common Cause said Soros's foundation has donated $600,000 to the group's education fund since June 2000, but she said that won't affect its ability to monitor campaign finance.
Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21 said Soros's foundation has given about $250,000 to his group, but he pointed out that the group has called for investigations of Democrats such as former President Clinton and the DNC as well as Republicans. "We are concerned about George Soros's large contributions to affect the 2004 campaign, as we are also concerned about President Bush's decision to swamp the country with $200 million in spending for his uncontested presidential primary race," Wertheimer said.
Gillespie said he has not solicited groups to give soft money to help reelect the president.
Democratic spokesman Tony Welch said Republicans perfected the practice in the last two elections "and seem to have a problem now that the president's reelection is in serious trouble."
A key role for the RNC is to register 3 million voters before the 2004 election, Gillespie said, pointing to the GOP's registration of 175,000 in California, 20,000 in Kentucky, and 10,000 in Mississippi as progress toward that goal. The GOP captured gubernatorial races in all three states. 