Kucinich must pay $50,000 for improperly using campaign expenses

The Federal Election Commission has ordered Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to repay more than $50,000 that that the agency says was improperly used for campaign expenses in 2004.

In a ruling issued Thursday, the FEC said Kucinich used $52,443 in public matching funds to pay for campaign expenses after he was no longer a candidate for president.

The Ohio Democrat was given 30 days to pay back the funds to the U.S. Treasury.  

"The Commission reaches this conclusion because the Commission found that [Kucinich for President] received an insufficient amount of private contributions after the candidate's 001 to pay for all of its continuing to campaign expenses. KFP, therefore, paid some of those expenses with matching funds," the FEC's decision reads.

The FEC decision is the second time in as many months that Kucinich has had to deal with costly legal battles. Last month, he sued the Longworth House building on Capitol Hill for $150,000 over an olive pit he claimed caused him serious dental damage that required surgery. Kucinich settled the lawsuit on undisclosed terms.

Prior to the ruling, lawyers for Kucinich for President issued a letter saying that they would disagree with an FEC ruling on paying back the funds but would comply with it. 

"Kucinich for President, Inc. is willing to raise additional contributions and voluntarily agree to make a repayment to the U.S. Treasury and not exercise its right to appeal," the letter read.