Giving the money to a candidate would have been illegal. But the law firm didn't give to a candidate. Ness Motley is not alone, but current CRP records reflect activity through 1999, only. In the months to come, records might show sizeable donations from labor unions or agribusiness. One Common Cause study shows how the President Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bob Dole campaigns cycled money from national party accounts to various state accounts, which then funneled money to the same ad buyers and media consultants that were working on Clinton's and Dole's campaigns, he says.
Soft money is the loophole of all loopholes.
There are all different kinds of conduits to get that money into the campaign. Dick Harpootlian, chair of the Democratic Party of South Carolina, says Republicans typically raise more money than Democrats, so banning soft money would level the playing field. He supports it. In South Carolina, political parties suffer no soft-money disclosure requirements by the S.C. State Ethics Commission. State-level donors can remain masked from public view.