Federal Election Commission

Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" lived on at the Federal Election Commission after it left theaters. The agency said Tuesday it has dismissed two complaints that accused Moore and others involved in the 2004 film of violating a ban on the use of corporate money for election-time presidential ads.

Lockheed Martin Corp.'s political action committee agreed to pay a $27,000 penalty because its former assistant treasurer filed false reports to cover up his embezzlement, the Federal Election Commission said. The Lockheed Martin Employees' Political Action Committee filed false reports detailing its contributions and expenditures based on information submitted by the committee's assistant treasurer at the time, Kenneth Phelps, according to the agreement. He was fired in 2004, Lockheed said.

The Federal Election Commission dismissed complaints that Republican and conservative groups improperly worked with Ralph Nader to get him on state presidential ballots in Oregon, Michigan and New Hampshire last year. The commission said it found no reason to believe that any of the groups had violated the law as Nader sought to qualify as an independent presidential candidate in the three states. The consumer advocate was on the ballot in 34 states last year.

Federal election officials sued a political group to try to force it to comply with campaign finance limits, the first lawsuit of its kind to arise from controversial big-money fundraising during the 2004 elections. The Federal Election Commission filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington against the Club for Growth. The pro-Republican group spent at least $21 million in the 2003-04 election cycle.

The Federal Election Commission is questioning whether Forbes Inc. gave its president, Steve Forbes, thousands of dollars in illegal corporate contributions in the form of advances from the company that were later repaid by the campaign, according to documents on file with the FEC. But the campaign said Wednesday that its dealings with Forbes Inc. complied with the law.

A federal judge was skeptical of the Federal Election Commission's contention that GOPAC, the Republican political action committee, violated election laws by advocating the overthrow of Democrats in Congress two years before it registered as a political committee. In quizzing FEC and GOPAC lawyers, U.S. District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer expressed concerns about the consequences of siding with the FEC.

Democrats filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that a group headed by broadcaster Pat Robertson had failed to report spending against Democratic House candidates. The complaint alleged that Robertson's Christian Coalition has been buying radio spots and sending mail opposing Democratic candidates in at least four states. The papers filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee focused on the races of incumbent Reps.