GOP Asks For Investigation Into PAC Possibly Connected To O'Malley

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Maryland's Republican Party is raising questions about a political action committee's TV and radio ads and a possible connection to the O'Malley campaign.

The party filed complaints Thursday with the state Board of Elections and the Internal Revenue Service asking for an investigation into a political action committee called the Maryland Fund.

The GOP charged the Maryland Fund with illegally keeping secrets.

The group's Web site, www.ehrlichisbush.com, mocks the governor's allegiance to President George W. Bush.

But Maryland's GOP leveled two allegations back at the group: first, that their TV and radio ads don't properly disclose who's funding the so-called 527 group, one of the new breed of political action committees.

"By failing to disclose their donors and by failing to have an authority line on their television ads and their Web site, they're operating illegally, according to Maryland and U.S. law," said John Kane, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party.

The ads show a graphic attributing them to the Maryland Fund, but they give no address or treasurer's name. The state Board of Elections told WBAL TV 11 news they're looking into whether or not more attribution is really required by law.

Kane said, "We want to be proven that there is not a technical oversight here. We want the people that are running the 527 to prove to us that there is no malfeasance."

Maryland's Democratic Party is dismissing that charge.

Party chairman Terry Lierman said Thursday, "John Kane's Republican candidates, Bob Ehrlich and Michael Steele, are losing ground after spending millions of dollars, and as a result, Kane has nothing but wild speculation and groundless allegations on which to bellyache. To be absolutely clear so Kane has nothing else to whine about tomorrow, there is no connection between Maryland Democrats and this 527."

Kane said, "Obviously they know each other."

The other charge by the GOP is that the O'Malley campaign and the Maryland Fund are acting in concert, which would be a violation of state and federal election laws.

Kane said, "We believe there is strong evidence to suggest that the Maryland Fund and the O'Malley campaign could possibly be in coordination."

The claim the evidence against O'Malley is a campaign consultant from his 1999 mayoral campaign that now runs another consulting business with the executive director of the Maryland Fund.

But that consultant, Jim Cauley, has no direct connection to either the Maryland Fund or the O'Malley campaign.

An O'Malley spokeman said, "This is a desperate attempt by the Republican Party to mask the fact that Ehrlich is losing in every statewide poll."

The state GOP said the Maryland Fund has spent more than $900,000 in TV and radio ads. The Maryland Fund has spent $59,200 with WBAL TV.