The Chairwoman of Connecticut’s Democratic Party has filed a Federal Elections Commission complaint against Linda McMahon, one of U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd’s five Republican challengers and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.
The complaint alleges that McMahon’s campaign had the WWE remove specific You Tube videos featuring scenes from past performances shortly after they made headlines in the campaign.
Corporations are not allowed to give any money or other in-kind contributions to Congressional campaigns.
“If Linda McMahon is going to talk glowingly about her role as CEO of the WWE, then she also must answer for the kind of female-degrading, sexually-exploitive, steroid-fueled programming it’s become known for,” Nancy DiNardo, Democratic Party Chairwoman, said in a press release. “And furthermore, she’s sorely mistaken if she thinks the WWE can do her dirty work for her as she stays above the fray.”
“She might claim to be a different kind of Senator, but Linda McMahon’s illegal coordination with the WWE doesn’t do anything to bolster that image,” DiNardo said.
McMahon’s campaign spokesman Ed Patru said it’s a “baseless accusation.” He said the campaign has compiled with all FEC rules and regulations.
“This latest attack from Chris Dodd speaks volumes about just how worried he is about Linda’s campaign,” Patru said. “It’s troubling that Chris Dodd’s political apparatus seems more concerned with watching wrestling videos on the Internet than restoring trust in government.”
The Connecticut Democratic Party has asked that the FEC look into the matter and impose the maximum fines permitted for such violations.