The Great Republican Governors Association McCrory Money Laundering Machine

The Republican Governors Association wasted no time setting up an Independent Expenditure Committee called the RGA NC 2008 PAC to receive and spend unlimited amounts of money from individuals to run ads for Pat McCrory in the wake of court rulings and subsequent recent changes to North Carolina election law. A Statement of Organization was filed 5/19/08 and the PAC already has $387,380 on hand from out of state donors ready to spend in support of McCrory

Corporate funds are prohibited for independent expenditures but, according to IRS records, the Republican Governors Association 527 Political Committee received $135,000 from North Carolina corporations in the first half of 2008.

4/18/08 $10,000 Goodrich Corporation, Charlotte
3/06/08 $25,000 Duke Power Company, Charlotte
3/04/08 $25,000 Prudential Financial, Charlotte
1/02/08 $25,000 Reynolds American, Winston-Salem
1/14/08 $25,000 Reynolds American, Winston-Salem
3/17/08 $25,000 Time Warner Cable, Charlotte

       Total $135,000

According to news reports, contributions to the Republican Governors Association can be diverted to various funds at will, without the consent of the donor:

[Association spokesman] Schrimpf said donors have no control over how the money they give to the association is used.
Ruth Caldwell, a 92-year-old retiree from Midland, Mich., was surprised to hear the $100 she gave was being used in North Carolina and said she may not give money the next time around.
"I thought it was going to the Republican Party," Caldwell said in a telephone interview. "It wasn't going to make much difference anyway, but that's the best I could do."

From the RGA website:

There is no statutory limit on the amount a corporation, individual or PAC may contribute to the RGA. ::::: Contributions to the RGA may be used in one of the RGA's affiliated state PACs.

While the court rulings enabling these expenditures were based on free speech rights, it appears that the individuals donating have no such rights. The distribution of revenues can be easily manipulated to divert unique source funds where needed. Corporate funds in one end, individual funds out the other. Looks like money laundering to me.