Opinion ID: 75646
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Fund's Communications

Text: 3 Public Citizen, Inc. is a non-profit consumer advocacy organization with voluntary membership. Public Citizen has no shareholders and does not accept funds from corporations or unions. In 1991, Public Citizen's board of directors authorized creation of Public Citizen, Inc.'s Fund for a Clean Congress (the Fund), pursuant to 2 U.S.C. §§ 431-455. The Fund was created to raise money from members of Public Citizen for use in a targeted campaign against members of Congress from both political parties who had played major roles in blocking campaign finance reform initiatives. Craig McDonald was appointed treasurer of the Fund in April 1992. The Fund was active only during the 1992 election campaign. 4 In early July 1992, within two weeks of the Republican primary in Georgia's sixth congressional district, the Fund announced its Boot Newt campaign at a press conference. The Fund spent $48,000 to produce and air a televison advertisement discussing then-Representative Newt Gingrich's record regarding congressional pay raises and perks. 3 The advertisement included a statement that it was paid for by the Fund, but did not state whether it was authorized by any candidate, as required by § 441d(a). The Fund also distributed, at a July 18, 1992, candidate debate, approximately 200 flyers advocating Gingrich's defeat in the Republican primary. Like the television advertisement, these flyers stated that they were paid for by the Fund, but did not state whether they were authorized by any candidate, as required by § 441d(a). 4