Better Future PAC Breaks the Law for Fred Walser

The Public Disclosure Commission concluded that Better Future for Washington, a PAC fully funded -- to the tune of $250,000 -- by the Washington State Senate Democrats violated RCW 42.17.565(2), in delaying filing of a report about a lying hit piece against Republican incumbent Val Stevens, on behalf of challenger Fred Walser.

Shatki Hawkins, a consultant for the PAC, and Jason Bennett, the PAC's treasurer (also Fred Walser's treasurer) admitted to the PDC that they mailed the hit piece on September 18, 2008, costing over $40,000. As it is an electioneering communication, it had to be filed in a C-6 form by Friday, September 19. But they put the date of September 20 -- two days after it was mailed, and a day after it was required to be reported -- on the form, and did not file the report until September 22.

The Senate Democrats have dumped over $75,000 into Fred Walser's campaign, despite the fact that he is a convicted criminal currently under a one-year jail sentence for lying to public servants, and Walser and the Democrats have both lied about Stevens in hit pieces: Walser lied about Stevens and police, Better Future for WA lied about Stevens and domestic violence.

And now the PDC makes clear that they also violated the law, probably in order to not tip their hand about the piece being mailed until it was already received by voters.

From a campaign and candidate that have been built on lies, this is completely unsurprising.