The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jordan Libowitz,,jlibowitz@citizensforethics.org,.

CREW Congratulates November's Scoundrel of the Month: Crossroads GPS

Karl Rove and his dark money minions at Crossroads GPS suffered a series of expensive defeats on Election Day, but thanks to your votes the group is taking home a small consolation prize as November's Scoundrel of the Month. Although Crossroads GPS has a long history of playing fast and loose with election rules, even we were shocked by how brazenly the group violated campaign finance law when soliciting donations to fund ads for specific races.

WASHINGTON

Karl Rove and his dark money minions at Crossroads GPS suffered a series of expensive defeats on Election Day, but thanks to your votes the group is taking home a small consolation prize as November's Scoundrel of the Month. Although Crossroads GPS has a long history of playing fast and loose with election rules, even we were shocked by how brazenly the group violated campaign finance law when soliciting donations to fund ads for specific races.

Federal law requires outside groups making independent political expenditures to disclose the donors who paid for them. Groups like Crossroads GPS normally evade this rule by claiming none of their funds were earmarked for specific races. In complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the FBI, however, CREW presented clear evidence that Rove and other Crossroads leaders solicited donations tied to individual races, even issuing a matching challenge for Ohio's Senate race.

"Karl Rove has had a tough month, failing to deliver results for his secretive mega-donors and being put into a 'time-out' by Fox News after his election night meltdown. This is yet another strike against him," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. "If the FEC wants to maintain a shred of credibility with the public, it must take swift action against Crossroads GPS for its total disregard for the law."

Karl Rove and his Crossroads cronies can now join the ranks of other former scoundrels currently in the hot seat after the election, including Americans for Tax Reform founder Grover Norquist. Stay tuned for announcements on voting for December's scoundrels.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.