Wynn Flouts Campaign Finance Laws

Congressman Al Wynn has an extensive and ruthlessly effective political machine that has allowed him to dominate his district for years. How? Money! If you want to know who a politician really serves, you have to follow the money trail. Matt Stoller over at MyDD decided to follow the wads of cash lining Wynn's pockets and, well, discovered something interesting:

[Al Wynn] ...has a strange and disturbing pattern of breaking campaign finance laws to hide the identities of the people funneling money into his campaigns. It's not that he makes mistakes, or misreports a donor here or there.... There's obviously sloppiness here, but the pattern... is so extensive that it's hard to conclude that it isn't intentionally done to hide his funding sources.

Stoller documents instance after instance of Wynn's continued and methodical flouting of campaign finance laws. For example, in 2000 he was forced to return illegally laundered corporate contributions; in 2001 he was fined by the FEC for failing to properly file his campaign finance reports; in 2003 he was fined again for failing to report the employers/occupations of an astonishing 51% of his contributors; just last week it was announced that he is facing a possible FEC audit after repeatedly amending his latest campaign finance reports.

Reading Stoller's piece, you get a real sense that something is rotten in Maryland's 4th District. It's about time the people of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties stand up and take back their district! It's is time to throw out the garbage, including the Al Wynn machine!

Update: Bruce over at Crablaw and Free State Politics picks up the money trail as well. As does Sharon in MD on Daily Kos.

Hat Tip: Elly
Tags: MD-04; Al Wynn; campaign finance