The treasurer of Republican Congressional fundraising in 2004 also worked with the SBVT

[karynnj]

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing and presumed stolen from the chief fund-raising arm of House Republicans, according to party officials who described the findings of emergency internal audits."

"Mr. Ward had been treasurer of the national Republican committee since 2003. He had also been a partner in a private campaign consulting firm, Political Compliance Services, that gained notice in the 2004 presidential campaign because of its work on behalf of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group that ran advertisements that criticized the military record of Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee."

But 30 minutes before the scheduled meeting, committee officials said, Mr. Ward sent an e-mail message to colleagues announcing that, in fact, no audit had been done. The officials said the fund-raising committee had since determined that its books had not been audited since 2003 and that Mr. Ward had submitted a series of falsified audits. The committee then called in the F.B.I. It is not clear, lawmakers said, if any fees were paid to audit firms in recent years by the committee, or where that money ended up.

“This was a longtime trusted employee and there were no obvious signs that he was living beyond his means,” Mr. Conaway said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/washington/06gop.html?_r=1&ref=washington&oref=slogin

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My title is not the title of the NYT piece. There's is "F.B.I. Investigates Missing G.O.P. Money". To me this shows how unremarkable they find it that the treasurer of the Republican equivalent of the DCCC was also a partner in a a consulting company that ran SBVT ads! The article is not specific on the amount of money unaccounted for but if it is significant, the fact that there were no obvious signs of high living could mean that they helped fund the SBVT.

Other goodie - Mr. Ward was appointed as treasurer of the national Republican committee five years ago by Jon Power's opponent, Representative Thomas M. Reynolds of New York.

OK - Does this take make me a conspiracy nut? (I think this shows the extent of the Republican concern - even when they had a sitting President in a time of war and the ability to play with terror warning - over the potential of Senator Kerry, a genuine war hero, man of integrity, experience, and ideas defeating their leader.)

[wisteria]

1. Interesting story. You can call me a conspiracy nut if you like, but I think I know where that money...

went-to the SBVT. No audits since 2003 and false audits submitted? I always wondered how it was possible that just a couple of RW million/billionaires funded this group. And, I would bet the SB actors received pay for their services to the Republican party also.

[karynnj]

2. What surprised me is that all of that is sort of not connected in the NYT article

It does seem suspicious.