OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Oct. 28 he had filed a complaint in Thurston County Superior Court alleging campaign finance violations by the Freedom Foundation.
Ferguson alleges the Freedom Foundation failed to file its independent expenditure reports disclosing money it spent to oppose statewide ballot measures.
“Washingtonians demand that the financial forces at work in their elections are fully and timely disclosed,” Ferguson said. “I am committed to enforcing the laws that ensure the transparency vital to our democracy.”
In August, the Campaign to Prevent Fraud and Protect Seniors complained to Ferguson’s office that the Freedom Foundation was committing multiple violations of state public disclosure law. The Public Disclosure Commission looked into the matter and recommended Ferguson take action.
Handling the case for the state are senior assistant attorney general Linda Dalton and assistant attorney general Chad Standifer. Ferguson, since taking the attorney general’s office, has devoted significant resources and a full-time attorney position to campaign finance casework.