Midwest Values PAC, the political action committee formed by DFL Senate candidate Al Franken to promote Democratic candidates, was fined $7,200 last year by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for filing a campaign finance report late.
The report, covering October through November 2006, was filed in January 2007 after missing the due date. The fine was paid last October, according to FEC records.
Franken formed the PAC in 2005 to raise money for Democratic candidates nationwide. Since then it has raised more than $1.1 million, much of it from entertainers including Barbra Streisand and Larry David.
Midwest Values was one of 23 political committees fined for improper reporting. Although the FEC issued a news release in March, the action against Midwest Values wasn't generally known until it appeared Tuesday on Minnesota Democrats Exposed, a Republican blog.
"The PAC filed all reports in accordance with FEC regulations, but a simple administrative error resulted in this issue," said Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr. "It has been resolved for nearly a year and public for months.
"The only reason Coleman surrogates are rehashing it now is that Norm Coleman won't answer a very simple question about who pays the utility bills at his million-dollar crash pad." Barr was referring to recent DFL charges that Coleman is paying below-market-rate rent for his living quarters in Washington.
Thomas Borman, the PAC's treasurer, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
