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The Inside Scoop

We here at Scoop are used to getting news releases from one party accusing members of the other party of being mendacious, evil, mean-spirited half-wits who want to eat babies and steal your lunch money.

It's part of the charm of politics.

But an FEC complaint from the N.C. Republican Party claiming Greensboro state Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, had taken $185,000 in illegal campaign contributions in her bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole got our attention.

Was she laundering drug money or shaking down foreign nationals? It wasn't clear from the complaint or related news release, so we called up N.C. GOP spokesman Brent Woodcox.

He explained the party thought Hagan had gotten contributions in excess of legal limits because she had a bunch of donations from people who were related to one another — husband and wife mostly — that came in the same amount on the same day.

People can't do that? Scoop asked.

Oh, they can, Woodcox explained, but in some circumstances they have to write separate checks or the campaign has to do a little additional paperwork.

And you have evidence that wasn't done?

"No, I wouldn't say there's direct evidence," Woodcox said. "But we think the Hagan campaign should have to show their work."

Scoop called a few folks of nonpartisan stripes to vet the GOP's claim, at least two of whom used words to describe the GOP's complaint that we can't print.

Massie Ritsch, with the Center for Responsive Politics, more tactfully pointed out that husbands and wives who shared a bank account were allowed to give at the same time on the same check.

"This is an accounting complaint that appears to be geared more toward getting attention than getting enforcement," Ritsch said.

And, he pointed out, Dole's campaign had similar contributions on its own expense form.

"They are just trying to put their opponents on the defensive for something that happens fairly commonly," Ritsch said.

Hagan's campaign had no on-the-record comment.

Staff Writer Mark Binker contributed.