November 25, 2008

FPPC Agrees to Investigate Fred Karger’s Complaint Against Mormon Church

Above the din of spoons clattering into half-eaten bowls of green Jell-O and cries of “Oh, fetch!” echoing all the way from Salt Lake City to San Francisco comes our shout of joy: Booyah!

Congratulations, Fred! However it all shakes out, this step had to be taken. You da man!

Probe into LDS Church’s Prop 8 donations
going forward

California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) confirmed Monday that it will investigate allegations that the LDS Church failed to report nonmonetary contributions to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.

An independent nonprofit organization, Californians Against Hate, called for the investigation after the measure passed earlier this month, effectively ending same-sex marriages in that state.

“They read my letter and I guess came to the conclusion that there’s something worth looking into,” said Fred Karger, who heads Californians Against Hate, which was formed to track donations in support of the ballot initiative. “I’m hopeful that the LDS Church will cooperate and share all the records and all the information they have about their activities in the Proposition 8 campaign.”

Karger, a retired political consultant, alleged in his complaint that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints failed to report money invested to organize phone banks, send out direct mailers, provide transportation to California, mobilize a speakers bureau, send out satellite simulcasts and develop Web sites as well as numerous commercials and video broadcasts. …

Read the full complaint here.

The LDS Church did not comment on Monday’s latest development but said earlier that Karger’s complaint had “many errors and misstatements,” that the church had “fully complied with the reporting requirements of the California Political Reform Act” and that “any investigation would confirm the church’s full compliance with applicable law.”

Karger, however, sees the fact that FPPC is moving forward as a good sign. He said his political attorney told him the commission looks into fewer than 5 percent of complaints, an indication in his mind that “when they do it, it’s pretty serious.”

But Roman Porter, executive director of FPPC, urges against jumping to conclusions. … He also said an investigation is nothing more than an investigation. …

But he did say if the FPPC determines fault, the commission could fine “up to $5,000 per violation,” and in some cases might also file a civil lawsuit, which could lead to remedies amounting to “three times the amount of unreported or misreported contributions.”

We’re not pinning our hopes on the outcome of the investigation; while it is tremendous that the FPPC found merit in Fred’s complaint to launch an investigation (and as proud as we are to have Fred in our “family,” and of all his herculean efforts to expose the money trail behind this ugly campaign from its earliest days), it is but one task (albeit an extremely important task) amidst all the work we all have ahead of us.

All levelheaded perspective aside, however, we can’t resist one more shout: Booyah!

Posted by: Sapphocrat

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