HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding his decision to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Bethlehem Mayor and 15th Congressional District candidate, John Callahan, and his campaign committee, John Callahan for Congress.

“John Callahan’s decision to improperly use funds from his mayoral campaign to support his bid for congress is wrong,” Gleason said. “Not only did John Callahan and his campaign violate the law by using funds from his mayoral committee to support his congressional bid, they failed to even alert the FEC of the expenditures. By doing so, John Callahan and his congressional campaign have knowingly misled both the FEC and the people of the 15th Congressional District, all in a weak attempt to pad his congressional campaign coffers. I hope the FEC addresses these issues immediately and that John Callahan takes responsibility for his actions.”

The complaint outlines payments made by Callahan’s mayoral campaign committee to Stanford Campaigns, a Democrat opposition research firm. According to Callahan’s campaign manger Justin Schall, who was the source of an October 22nd, 2009 article in The Morning Call, this firm was hired to, “find out what criminal background checks the name John Callahan would dig up.” The funds raised by his mayoral campaign committee were used to help Mr. Callahan “test the waters” for a possible federal campaign, and their use and subsequent absence from any federal campaign filings, stand in direct violation of the Federal Election Commission Act of 1971 and Federal Election Commission regulations.

Click here to read a copy of the complaint.

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