Although Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) might seem a political pit bull at times, the freshman congressman grew defensive recently when crying foul against a Web-based political action group that's been dogging him for months.
But in a ruling released Friday afternoon, the Federal Election Commission dismissed Grayson's complaint that political organization MyCongressmanIsNuts.com was deceptive in its efforts to raise funds to attack him.
Grayson's complaint, filed with the FEC in November, accused the group's founder, Angela Langley, of disingenuously soliciting funds to attack him. Grayson argued that Langley claimed to be an unhappy constituent of his, although in reality, she resides in a Florida district not under the congressman's jurisdiction.
"The FEC recognized that Angie Langley lied. Unfortunately, the statute does not expressly prohibit liars from lying," Julie Tagen, Grayson's chief of staff, told OpenSecrets Blog.
A Democrat representing the far-left flank, Grayson has become a household name to liberals across the nation for his willingness to stand up for progressive issues in Congress -- or at least talk about them on TV, where he routinely appears to attack Republican policies, if not the party at large.
In an official response filed to the FEC, an attorney representing Langley and MyCongressmanIsNuts.com scoffed at Grayson's complaint.
"Regardless of the facts offered by Rep. Grayson in support of his claims, his complaint fails to establish any relevant legal basis for action by the Commission," he wrote.
Indeed, the FEC agreed. It noted in its decision that even if there was proof that Langley falsely identified herself as a constituent of Grayson's, such misrepresentation is not illegal under campaign finance law. The committee also found little to back-up Grayson's claim that Langley misrepresented MyCongressmanIsNuts.com's affiliation with a particular candidate in order to avoid contribution limits.
According to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, MyCongressmanIsNuts.com has raised almost $22,000 during the 2010 election cycle. Grayson has raised more than $3.1 million for his re-election bid during the same time period.
