By DANIEL SUDDEATH
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC, filed a complaint Thursday against former Republican Congressman Mike Sodrel, alleging illegal political attacks against Rep. Baron Hill.
After losing in his first attempt in 2002, Sodrel defeated Hill in the 2004 election to claim Indiana’s 9th District seat in the House. He then lost to Hill in 2006 and 2008.
The Federal Election Commission received the complaint, which also names the organizations Citizens for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund.
“There is overwhelming evidence that Mike Sodrel engaged in a pattern of multiple violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act by illegally coordinating his attacks on Congressman Hill with the shady soft money groups Citizens for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund,” stated Jennifer Crider, communications director for the DCCC, in an e-mail.
The DCCC claims Sodrel, Citizens for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund are guilty of accepting and making illegal in-kind contributions, failing to register as a political committee with the Election Commission and not reporting coordinated communications and expenditures.
“We’re filing this complaint to hold Mike Sodrel and his soft money supporters accountable for attempting to skirt federal election law and deceive Indiana voters,” Crider said.
DCCC boasts evidence of phone records that Citizens for Truth head Bud Bernitt made 71 contacts in two months leading up to the 2006 election with key members of Sodrel’s official and campaign staff.
Those calls include 27 alleged conversations between Bernitt and Chris Crabtree, Sodrel’s Bloomington office director and chief of staff. DCCC claims those calls were made between Sept. 1 and Nov. 6, 2006.
The complaint also is based on Citizens for Truth’s alleged advertisements attacking Hill. It claims the Web site www.citizensfortruth.com bragged of releasing hundreds of ads and sponsoring 38 billboards against Hill.
According to DCCC, Citizens for Truth spent more than $10,000 airing radio ads against Hill in both 2004 and 2006, but is not registered with the Election Commission and has not reported making independent expenditures related to those ads.
DCCC believes there is ample proof that the Hill attacks by Citizens for Truth were coordinated with Sodrel. As for the Economic Freedom Fund, the complaint charges the organization may have made an illegal contribution to Sodrel.
The DCCC is seeking maximum fines and that Sodrel and the organizations be enjoined from further violations.
Sodrel denied connections to Citizens for Truth, but said Saturday he hadn’t reviewed the entire complaint filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last week.
"I had nothing to do with Citizens for Truth," Sodrel said, adding his son didn’t participate in his campaigns during the times in question.
Referring to parts of the petition brought against him he was familiar with, Sodrel said a similar action to the one now being brought by DCCC was dismissed by the Election Commission in 2006.
Sodrel feels the complaint was raised by DCCC in an attempt to keep attention off of Hill and his yes vote for the House-approved version of President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan.
Sodrel said when Hill campaigned against him last November, he touted his no votes against the $700 billion economic bailout plan. Since winning reelection, Sodrel said Hill has been fiscally liberal with his votes.
"It’s simply a diversion," Sodrel said of the petition filed against him. "[The DCCC] would rather have the press on me."
