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Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) on Thursday sought to assure concerned GOP members that a federal probe of financial irregularities at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) will not adversely affect fundraising in the long term.
“These are not problems that will keep us from competing in the fall,” the NRCC chairman told his colleagues during a closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference, according to sources in the room.
Without sharing details of the probe, citing legal constraints, Reps. Cole, Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and John Kline (R-Minn.) explained the audit process that the committee was going through, but one Republican source said it was unclear whether NRCC funds are missing. Conaway, a former CPA, serves as chairman of the NRCC audit committee. Kline serves as NRCC management chairman.
Asked about the probe Thursday, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters, “I think that Tom Cole and the auditing committee at NRCC will get to the bottom of it.”
In a statement issued late last week, Cole said an unnamed former NRCC employee who served as an outside vendor had been terminated and that the investigation was continuing. The statement noted that federal authorities had been contacted.
Republican sources confirmed that the FBI had been notified.
Several sources said that the focus of the probe is Christopher J. Ward, who reportedly has resigned from Political Compliance Services Inc.
The NRCC announcement last week has caused several Republican House members who employed Ward to begin reviewing their campaign accounts.
According to an initial review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, at least 10 House members and several campaign committees listed Christopher J. Ward as the treasurer of their war chests.
One of the 10 is Rep. Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.), who said he has cut ties with Ward and has begun a review of his committee’s finances.
“We have a very small PAC,” said Walsh. “I’m not sure what we are going to do with it, we’ll probably close it out…but we want to make sure everything is done correctly.”
Walsh announced he will not seek reelection last month.
Pennsylvania GOP Reps. Charlie Dent and Phil English also cut Ward loose.
“Upon hearing the NRCC news, immediate steps were taken to remove Mr. Ward as the treasurer,” said Julie Wanzco, a spokeswoman for English. “There is no knowledge of any wrongdoing on his part regarding the leadership PAC.”
Ward is listed as treasurer for Rep. Mark Kirk’s (R-Ill.) campaign account but Kirk said another individual has served in the treasurer role for the last six months.
A spokesman for Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said Ward was only involved with the congressman’s leadership PAC for a short time in 2005 before the PAC was closed in 2006.
Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Del. Luis Fortuno (R-Puerto Rico) also listed Ward as the treasurer of their campaign accounts.
“We have accepted Chris Ward’s resignation and he is no longer serving as the treasurer of the Good Fund,” said Randy Hinaman, a consultant to Goodlatte.
Hensarling and Fortuno did not comment.
Ward had previously served as the treasurer of the NRCC and also worked for a number of other leadership PACs.
Ward could not be reached for comment.
In July 2007, The Hill reported that Ward was listed as the treasurer of the Tuesday Group PAC, which is comprised of House centrists. In 2004, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth paid Ward’s firm nearly $230,000 for services ranging from database management to website consulting.
Last summer, the counsel for the Tuesday Group PAC said Ward did not handle his firm’s account with Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, saying another partner at the firm worked on that business. |
