McKenna sues builders in campaign-violations cases

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Rob McKenna took legal action today against two builders groups accused of breaking state campaign-finance laws.

McKenna filed lawsuits against the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and against a subsidiary of the Building Industry Association of Washington.

The action comes just days after the state Public Disclosure Commission agreed unanimously that the two groups failed to properly report their roles in directing political donations.

McKenna's office found there was sufficient evidence in the cases, and filed the lawsuits in Thurston County Superior Court. Status conferences before the court in the cases have been scheduled for Dec. 19.

Former Supreme Court Justices Faith Ireland and Robert Utter complained in July that the Master Builders Association and the BIAW — a conservative, politically active statewide trade group — were not fully disclosing their involvement in political fundraising.

The BIAW has been a target of liberal political groups for years because of its pugnacious support of conservative candidates and causes. This year, the BIAW's top priority is helping Republican Dino Rossi defeat Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire. Ireland and Utter, who lodged the legal complaint, are Gregoire supporters.

On Monday, PDC investigators dismissed a large part of Ireland and Utter's complaint: that the overall BIAW is acting as a political committee, orchestrating in detail the money flowing from its members and into campaigns.

But the PDC did find evidence that a BIAW subsidiary, Member Services Corp., was improperly concealing its role in bundling about $585,000 in workers-compensation refunds for donation to the BIAW's political arm.

The PDC also said the King and Snohomish Master Builders received and spent about $412,000 on polls, campaign contributions and political research without reporting the money's source.