SarahPAC receives notification from FEC about missing money from the NRA. Uh oh!

"What? We got a letter?"

Courtesy of the FEC:

Dear Treasurer: 

Response Due Date 12/12/2013 This letter is prompted by the Commission's preliminary review of the report referenced above. This notice requests information essential to full public disclosure of your federal election campaign finances. Failure to adequately respond by the response date noted above could result in an audit or enforcement action. Additional information is needed for the following 1 item(s):

 - Schedule A supporting Line 15 of your report discloses an offset to an operating expenditure(s) totaling $11,169.86 from "National Rifle Association"; however, your report(s) does not appear to disclose a disbursement to this entity. Please provide clarifying information regarding this activity and amend your report(s) if necessary. (11 CFR § 104.3(a) & (b)) 

Please note, you will not receive an additional notice from the Commission on this matter. Adequate responses must be received by the Commission on or before the due date noted above to be taken into consideration in determining whether audit action will be initiated. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Act may also result in an enforcement action against the committee. Any response submitted by your committee will be placed on the public record and will be considered by the Commission prior to taking enforcement action. Requests for extensions of time in which to respond will not be considered.

What the FEC is referring to appears to be a refund for travel expenses claimed by SarahPAC from the NRA, which can be found here.  I have to imagine that this is connected to Palin's speech at the NRA convention on May 3rd, which would indicate that at least some of her travel expenses were paid for by the NRA.

Now I am not an expert on PAC's but is that legal? It must not be since the FEC is asking for information as to when SarahPAC directly sent $11,169.86 to the NRA itself.

The FEC must know about the speech, and be able to put two and two together, so it is highly doubtful they have not figured out the connection.

Things that make you go "Hmmm."

This could a very big deal and if the treasurer Timothy Crawford cannot come up with a reasonable explanation this may be the end of Sarah Palin's free ride on the backs of the dumbest people on the planet.