| In the states where GOPAC filed its campaign contributions, it used a smoke-and-mirrors trick, listing certain contributions over and over again in separate filings in different states. For example, although our list of Top GOPAC Donors shows that California beer distributor Robert Stewart gave a total of $5,000 to GOPAC in the 1992 election cycle, the 1992 state financial disclosure filings from New Mexico, Mississippi, Arizona, Michigan, Indiana, and Georgia each list Stewart as contributing $5,000, for an apparent total of $30,000 rather than $5,000. This same trick was performed for $5,000 contributions from at least seven other businessmen. So while Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show that each of the eight businessmen (including Stewart) reported giving only $5,000 to GOPAC in 1992 (totaling $40,000), GOPAC's filings suggest they each gave $40,000 (totaling $240,000). By appearing to declare $200,000 more in contributions than it actually did, GOPAC in effect hid the true sources of that money. |
