TIME: The Secret G.O.P. Campaign (10/27/97)
Americans for Tax Reform Web site
Republican National Committee Web site
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Moneytrail Ties Between GOP And Anti-Tax Group
By Brooks Jackson/CNN
WASHINGTON (Nov. 11) -- The political moneytrail finds the GOP and a non-profit anti-tax group on the defensive as Democrats allege that "Americans For Tax Reform" was used as a cash conduit for Republican congressional election efforts last year.
The non-profit's leader, Grover Norquist, says his group is nonpartisan, just fighting for lower taxes.
But Democrats say they have fresh evidence that the A.T.R. was really a front for Republican Party spending to re-elect a Republican Congress. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said, "I think there's significant evidence of violation of law, and that should be investigated by a nonpartisan investigation."
The Republican National Committee wired $4.6 million to Norquist's group just before last year's elections, accounting for two-thirds of all the group's income in 1996.
It was soft money -- not legal in federal campaigns. But the money helped pay for 19 million mailings and 4 million telephone calls to senior citizens, echoing the Republican line on Medicare.
Norquist says the mailings were all legal. "I hope you read them carefully and you'll see that there's nothing here that says who to vote for or who to vote against. It's strictly on the issue of Medicare."
Former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour denied there's anything wrong here, telling the Senate investigation, "There was no improper coordination."
But there was close coordination.
Senate investigators turned up a memo sending advance copies of Norquist's mailings to RNC "field dogs" -- party workers. The memo says the mail "will be sent to 150 selected congressional districts" -- political targeting.
Norquist also raised about $500,000 from private donors for a TV ad blasting Democratic Sen. Bob Torricelli.
Democrats wanted to bring out their evidence at Senate campaign finance hearings. But Republicans suspended those hearings.
Levin wants the IRS and the Justice Department to investigate. Republicans running the Senate investigation never questioned Norquist nor any employees at the RNC.