The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board (IECDB) charged the Republican Party of Iowa last week with channeling money from state campaigns into a federal political action committee (PAC).

According to internal IECDB documents, the Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) broke Iowa campaign finance laws in three instances by funneling money into a federal PAC started by U.S. Representative Greg Ganske (R- Des Moines).

Violations cited by the Board include channeling money into the Ganske PAC from the RPI’s state campaign fund; from Iowa House Speaker Ron Corbett’s (R-Cedar Rapids) and State Senator Mary Lundby’s (R-Marion) campaigns; and from six Iowa county central committees not named.

In reviewing the transactions, IECDB Director Kay Williams called the state-to-state federal money transfers “incredible activities in violation of law.”

After the 1996 election cycle, the IECDB reprimanded and fined the RPI for accepting illegal corporate campaign contributions.

“This is not a one-time occurrence; this has happened before,” said John Del Cecato, communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party.

“[Republicans] are not just fighting loopholes in the law, they are breaking the law,” Del Cecato said.

Iowa law strictly prohibits the transfer of money raised for state campaigns into federal campaign committees and bars one candidate from contributing to another’s campaign.

According to the IECDB’s board meeting last week, eight PACs issued checks (in apparent response to a solicitation from the Party) to the Republican Party.

The checks were endorsed over to a federal PAC, the “1997 Republican Fall Event,” which is a committee connected to federal candidate Greg Ganske.

PAC contributions to political parties are permitted, but this methodology constitutes an apparent contribution in the name of another person.

Five central committees made contributions endorsed over to the federal PAC. In addition, two candidates — Corbett and Lundby — issued checks to the State Party, which also were endorsed to the federal PAC, according to the IECDB’s Board meeting last week.

Williams of the IECDB said, however, candidates Lundby and Corbett wrote checks to the state political party but were unaware of the money being put into the federal PAC’s.

“Four months after being reprimanded and fined for campaign finance abuses, the Republican Party of Iowa is at it again,” Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Mike Peterson said in a press release.

“By illegally funneling money raised for state campaigns into federal campaign coffers, Republicans have thumbed their noses at the Ethics Board and betrayed the trust of all Iowans,” Peterson said.

As of May 15, the Republican Party of Iowa had not responded to inquiries made by the IECDB regarding these incidences, according to an Ethics board source.

Keith Fortmann, executive director to the Republican Party, issued a statement over the phone on Tuesday.

“J.C. Watts wanted to come in and set up a joint venture, and he followed all the rules; everything is completely settled. It’s not an issue anymore.

“We’re going through the normal process of the situation. We’ve put out a letter about the issue,” Fortmann said.

Aric Kahle of the Republican Party of Iowa responded by saying, “This is a joint event. There is nothing new in what we did.”