Several campaign finance watchdog groups are complaining to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that TV stations are not using the name of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to identify the sponsor of ads being run by a Bloomberg-backed super PAC.
The Campaign Legal Center, along with the groups Common Cause and the Sunlight Foundation, warned nearly 20 stations in four states that they were improperly identifying “Independence USA PAC” as the sponsor of the ads, arguing that Mr. Bloomberg’s out-sized influence over the group means his name needs to be in the ads’ disclosures.
“Broadcasters across the nation receive a massive windfall from election advertising. They should be held accountable when they allow political advertisers to hide the true identities of the deep-pocketed funders behind them,” said Meredith McGehee, policy director for the Campaign Legal Center.
Mr. Bloomberg was the only donor in the “itemized receipts” part of the group’s filings to the Federal Election Commission every month this year.
“These stations were warned that they were in clear violation of the law but have continued to cash the checks and run the ads for Independence USA PAC without identifying Michael Bloomberg as the group’s sole funder,” Ms. McGehee said. “The identity of those paying to air television ads seeking to influence election outcomes is vital information to voters. The law of the land requires that those sponsors be clearly identified.”
Mr. Bloomberg has most recently been associated with his outspoken advocacy in favor of stricter gun controls, but Independence USA has also run ads recently in Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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