State regulators have filed their second campaign-finance complaint of the year against the Washington Association of Realtors, this time alleging that the association improperly reported its spending on Republicans in races for governor and attorney general.
The executive director of the Public Disclosure Commission, Vicki Rippie, filed her complaint last week, and the agency is launching a full investigation, spokesmen said this week.
The complaint also named the GOP campaigns of Attorney General Rob McKenna and gubernatorial hopeful Dino Rossi.
The Realtors denied wrongdoing in a statement released by group spokeswoman Barbara Lally.
"Washington Realtors believe that we acted fully within our constitutional rights to communicate information and education to the public as well as to our own members, and we feel that we will be fully vindicated," the statement said.
The PDC complaint said there is reason to believe the campaigns of McKenna and Rossi both violated campaign laws by accepting over-limit contributions. The violation is based on what appears to have been coordination between the campaigns and the Realtors that should have limited contributions to $3,200.
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