OMAHA, Neb. (Legal Newsline) -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning has been fined $19,000 by the Federal Election Commission for violating campaign finance laws.
Earlier this month, the FEC made public four closed cases. Among them, the case filed against Bruning by the Nebraska Democratic Party.
According to the FEC's May 3 Weekly Digest, the party's complaint alleged that Bruning, a Republican, failed to file his Statement of Candidacy in a timely manner after becoming a candidate; (2) Bruning for Senate Inc. f/k/a Bruning 2012 Exploratory Committee and Douglas R. Ayer, in his official capacity as treasurer, failed to file a Statement of Organization in a timely manner and failed to file the 2010 year-end disclosure report; and (3) the attorney general failed to disclose the financial activity of his exploratory committee.
In 2010, days after being re-elected, Bruning announced he was exploring a 2012 run for U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson's seat. Nelson, a Democrat, announced he would not seek a third term in 2012.
In January 2011, Bruning officially entered the race. He later was endorsed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
He eventually lost the GOP primary to state Sen. Deb Fischer, who went on to defeat Democrat Bob Kerrey to win Nelson's seat.
Under the FEC's conciliation agreement with Bruning, the attorney general and his committee must pay a civil penalty of $19,000.
Bruning agreed to the settlement with the FEC last month.
In March, the attorney general confirmed he plans to run for reelection next year. He also shot down rumors that he might be considering a run for governor or another run for the U.S. Senate, saying that both were "extremely unlikely."
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.